Katy Cupit
by VeilandSparks
Summary: Told from alternating points of view, Katy Cupit and Lily Evans. Katy is friends with both Lily and the Marauders, but Lily and the Marauders are not really friends. Eventaully James/Lily and Sirius/Katy.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than my made up charactes. I wish i could say i owned this, but i can't so please no law suits.

This is my first fic, so constrictive criticism is very welcome. Please tell me if I suck.  
Thanks a million!

_Prologue_

_There is an old family, a family that has been in the __wizarding__ world for centuries.  
__They were always different than the other families.  
This family is a matriarchal family.  
__When a __women__ in that family gets married, she keeps her last name.  
__She always has.  
And any daughters she may __have,__ must take her name as well.  
__This family has old magic in them.  
__Love.  
__There is a __muggle__ myth that came from this family.  
The myth that there is a small baby with __a bow and arrow __who__ makes people fall in love if they are hit with Cupid's bow.  
__Muggles__ overheard a pair of wizards discussing__the newest arrival in the Cupit family, and thus came the nymph Cupid.  
__This family has a powerful protection against many spells.  
They are affected in a __terrible, permanent, but unusual way to the __Cruciatus__ Curse.  
__The affect is different for each, and depends on the caster.  
__The__ family is slowly dying out.  
Many have been __killed,__ for there is a good deal of jealousy.  
__They can create love.  
This was particularly useful in the stages __of history in which marriages were arranged.  
__ACupit girl could create the feelings that will grow into love._

**_There are only three __Cupits__ left._**

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A note from me. So if I am told this is good (that would be a hint to review, my dear reader) then I will continue it for a while. In my wildest dreams i would go through all seven years at Hogwarts and later, and then go to Harry and his generation, but I may make that a sequel. But tell me what you think.

I hope you like it.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The Train and the Hat  
_Katy_

"Bye Mum, bye Dad! I'll write you loads Lucie, I promise!" Katy Cupit waved goodbye to her family and jumped on the train after her brother. He was going into his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Katy was going there for the first time and she didn't think she could have waited any longer. Her sister, Lucie, would be starting in two years. Her brother Jason, looked like their dad, with thick brown hair, but Katy and her sister looked more like their mum. Lucie had brown hair but otherwise looked just like Katy. Katy had bright blonde curls to just below her chin that most people thought were manufactured, but they were completely natural. She didn't like her hair all the time, it gets annoying when people are constantly touching it and talking about it. Her eyes were such a bright blue, sometimes people thought she had color contacts, but Katy didn't even know what color contacts were. She was very short, she had always been small for her age, but at age eleven she was getting tired of people asking if she nine.

Jason said goodbye to her on the train and left to find his friends and she went to look for James, he was the only person she knew. They had grown up on the same road and they had become quite good friends. Although Katy had thought perhaps they should be less close because she overheard her mum and Mrs. Potter saying they thought she and James would get marries one day, and that was the most ridiculous thing Katy had ever heard.

She heard someone from behind a closed door saying "See ya, Snivellus!" and although she had no idea who "Snivellus" was, Katy would recognize that voice anywhere, and the compartment door opened and a very raggedy looking boy who was already in his robes and a pretty red haired girl came out, both looking furious. Katy could only assume that the boy was Snivellus because there was no way someone could look at the girl and come up with a name like that.

"Hi!" Katy thought they looked like first years, so decided to introduce herself. "Katy Cupit." She held out her hand in the matter she had seen her father when he was introducing himself, but giggled as she did so, and dropped it when the red head said "Lily Evans, and this is Severus Snape." Katy now had a good idea of how James had gone from Severus to Snivellus.

"You guys are first years right?" Katy inquired, and they both nodded. She declined their offer to join her, because she had promised James she would meet him, but agreed to come find them later and say hi.

Katy pushed open the door to the compartment they had just left and saw Lily looking a bit surprised that she was going in there. But she ignored this and sat down opposite James and without so much as a preliminary "Hello" she said "So who's this James?"

"Umm, Sirius right?" James looked at the other boy for confirmation and when he got it, turned to Katy. "Sirius. Oh and Sirius, this is Katy Cupit." Sirius looked up and this and Katy got a good look at him. She decided he was good looking, but James was still the only boy she had every been friends with, so she wasn't too sure. Sirius looked like a younger version of the boys her cousin Alex dated all the time. His black hair was longer than any other boy's hair Katy had seen, but she thought it looked good.

James on the other had had short black hair that stuck up all over the place. He wore glasses, and Katy thought that if he ever took them off he looked very funny.

"Are you really a Cupit?" Katy was brought out of her thought by Sirius.

"What? Oh, yes I am, Katy Cupit."

"My parents would hate you." Sirius flashed her a grin and she understood that he did not agree with his parents.

"Why" Kate couldn't help but want to know why.

"Cause you're a Cupit. I'm Sirius Black, you must have heard that our families have always hated each other."

"Well," Katy had heard of this hate and thought it was stupid. "we can change that, you seem nice enough." Sirius grinned again and nodded.

When the witch with the trolley came by, all three of them pulled out much more money than three eleven year olds would need for one train ride, but they didn't complain and bought most of the sweets and spent a long time trading Chocolate Frog cards and eating Cauldron Cakes and daring each other to try different Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Sirius got the worst, vomit, but he won the game they were playing because he ate the whole things and didn't complain, he just made the most grotesque faces Katy had ever seen. They were having loads of fun, but then Katy thought of something less than lovely.

"Sirius, if you're a Black, won't you be in Slytherin?" Sirius looked defiantly back at her.

"No," he said, but he sounded less sure than he looked. "I'll change two traditions today, I'm friends with a Cupit and I won't go to Slytherin." Katy grinned. And they went back to their talking about what classes they were excited for. James and Katy both were fairly sure they would be in Gryffindor, and Sirius was hoping he would be able to convince the hat the let him go somewhere other than Slytherin, and although he would most like Gryffindor, he wouldn't really mind Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw.

After a couple of hours Katy jumped up, remembering her promise to go find Lily and Severus, and left to go look for them. Fortunately for her, she ran into Lily in the corridor and followed her to their compartment.

Katy almost immediately decided she didn't like Severus, but she thought Lily was quite nice, so for her sake, tried to be nice to Severus. Privately, Katy thought Severus was fighting a losing battle with his continuous remarks that Lily ought to be in Slytherin because for one thing, she was a muggleborn and also, there was nothing Slytherin about her, at least not that Katy could tell. She could also tell that Severus didn't like her either, because he gave her a dirty look every time she said thing to Lily that didn't directly involve him, but Katy supposed some people were protective of their friends. Lily must have seen something nice in Severus, or she wouldn't hang out with him, so Katy decided to give him another chance.

When they were going to be a Hogwarts in one hour, Katy went back to the boy's compartment because she was going to have to change, and all her stuff was in it. Even though she had known James since she was a baby, she didn't know Sirius very well, so she made them both leave the compartment while she changed, and when they came back they were accompanied by a new boy, who had sandy blonde hair and looked a bit sick to Katy.

"Katy, this is Remus, Remus, Katy." James introduced them and they both said hi and then Remus sat down next to Katy, as James and Sirius sat down in their seats across from them. Remus turned out to be quite nice. Katy thought he was a bit more sane than James and Sirius, he was quieter, and Katy was sure that he was sick, but he didn't act like he wasn't feeling good, so she changed her diagnosis to he had recently been sick.

They got off the train at the Hogsmeade station, Katy had been to Hogsmeade twice, once with her mother and once with her paternal grandfather. She knew that the older students were allowed to go, and thought it was quite unfair that she couldn't, but knew it was only two years until she could, so contented herself with being properly shocked by the size of the man who ushered them towards some boats. This was not how Katy was expecting to get to Hogwarts, but it seemed like it was just something that first years had to do. She got in a boat with James and Remus and Sirius, and suppressed a shiver, it was a bit cold out. However, she forgot her cold almost immediately when she saw Hogwarts. She had heard stories about the castle, but there was no way it could ever be described, and have justice done. It looked like a glittering palace, and Katy thought she was the luckiest person in the world to get to basically live here for the next seven years.

The giant man, Hagrid, he said his name was led them up from the boats to the front doors and they were greeted by women who Katy thought was not someone to get on her bad side. She smiled up at her as she passed, but didn't have time to see if she got one back. She suspected Professor McGonagall; she had introduced herself as, was too busy and didn't notice. The first years all filled into a fairly large room while Professor McGonagall told them about winning and losing House points, and then left them to be nervous.

Katy suspected Sirius was more nervous than he was letting on, because he kept tugging at his robes, but if everyone in his family had been in Slytherin, whatever sorted them might want to put him there too. After what seemed like hours, Professor McGonagall came back and ushered them all into the Great Hall, which was quite the biggest room Katy had ever seen. She silently cursed her brother when McGonagall told them all they had to do was try on a hat, he had been telling her to learn all sorts of impressive spells, because if you didn't know any good ones, you either went to Hufflepuff or got sent home. But Jason was a Ravenclaw, so he was smart.

As they lined up, Professor McGonagall started calling names, Katy wasn't really listening, she was too busy taking in the entire hall, but she did notice that "Bennet, Aimy" became the first Gryffindor and ran to the Gryffindor table amidst their cheers. A few people later, Professor McGonagall called "Black, Sirius" and Sirius walked up to the hat making a rather good attempt at a swagger. After a full minute the hat declared "GRYFFINDOR!" and there was a moment's stunned silence and then the Gryffindor table started cheering for Sirius and the Slytherin table seemed to throw daggers with their eyes at him as he walked, ecstatically towards the Gryffindor table. A few minutes later Katy heard her name called and some whispers throughout the hall. She jammed the hat on her head, not knowing what was going to happen then and she was quite surprised when the hat began talking to her.

"Ahh, yes, another Cupit, you know I'm seeing less and less of you, there used to always be Cupit girls running around this school, but now, none since your mother." Katy wondered if the hat usually reminisced about the students family members. "Well no question at all for you, GRYFFINDOR!" Katy was delighted. She was going in the same house as her mother. Of course, she had always expected to, but since her brother was in Ravenclaw there was a chance she could have been. She ran down to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Aimy Bennet, a girl she had never met before and across from Sirius, who looked quite pleased with himself.

Now that she had been sorted, Katy felt much more relaxed and settled down to watch the rest of the sorting. Not too long after Katy had been sorted McGonagall called "Evans, Lily" and the hat had barely touched Lily's hair when it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" and Lily ran over and when Sirius tried to give her a seat next to him, she went on the other side of him so that she was across from Aimy and firmly turned from Sirius and began chatting with Aimy. As the sorting went on James and Remus both came to Gryffindor and a boy called Peter Pettigrew and a girl called Mary Macdonald. Severus Snape immediately got put in Slytherin, and Lily looked a little sad, but she didn't seem surprised, and went back to talking to Aimy. Katy was talking to Mary, because she figured they were going to share a dorm, so they might as well all get to know each other now.

The new headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, gave a very short speech, welcoming the first years and so on and telling them what items were banned from the school. Katy saw James give a wicked grin at a few of them, and she had a sneaky feeling some of the forbidden objects were currently on their way to Gryffindor tower. But she decided to worry about James and his tendency towards rule breaking for later because for now the most delicious food had appeared in large quantities on the plates in front of her.

As they were eating ghosts started streaming in through the walls, and one, with a particularly high neck rough, came over to the Gryffindor table, and was greeted by the older students as either Sir Nicholas or Nick. James appeared to have heard to because he was muttering "Nick" to himself and then he looked and exclaimed "Nearly-Headless Nick!" and Nearly-Headless Nick turned, looking a bit perturbed, and asked to be called Sir Nicholas, if they didn't mind, and then Sirius asked him how come he was called "nearly-headless" because he seemed to have his head just fine. At this, Katy got an idea about why he had such a high neck ruff but hoped very much she was wrong.

While Nick did not look very happy, he seemed to have decided to oblige Sirius, because he said "Like this." and pulled on his left ear to reveal his mostly severed neck only being held to his body by no more than half an inch of skin. Or what would been skin if he was alive, and now just pearly white… stuff, Katy couldn't come up with a better term for what ghosts were made of.

After the dinner cleared, the platter filled themselves with desserts of all kinds, all just as delicious as the dinner had been, Katy and Mary had begun talking to Lily and Aimy, Aimy was quite nice, and Katy decided that she liked all the other first year Gryffindor girls and would be glad to share a dorm with them.

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	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – The Gryffindor Rule Book  
_Lily_

Lily had never been more excited in her life. Almost two months ago Severus had told her she was a witch, and she hadn't been sure if he was joking or not. But sure enough, she had gotten a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a witch, it was all true, and things had just gotten better. She had gone to Diagon Alley and seen the most unusual things, things even her vivid imagination could not have come up with. The only sad part of the whole thing was that her sister, Petunia, now hated her. Lily suspected she was really jealous, but it still hurt her feelings.

However, Lily was not thinking about any of that. She had woken up in her four poster bed in Gryffindor tower at Hogwarts and she could not wait to start her classes and learning to do real magic. She wanted to wake up all her dorm mates, but thought that might not be the best way to go, so contented herself with going over the events of the last evening.

She had met the other three girls last night, well, yesterday. She had met Katy on the train and there seemed to be something special about her, but she didn't know what it was. People kept asking if she really was a Cupit, for that was her last name, and when Professor McGonagall called the first years to get sorted, there had been a lot of whispering at her name. Lily supposed she didn't know what the big deal with Katy was, because Lily was muggleborn, so there was a lot she didn't know. Severus had told her it didn't matter, but she thought it must count for something to have been raised in the magic world, and resolved to study double hard so that she could make up for that particular shortcoming.

While she had decided the girls were all nice, she was much less sure of the boys. They had been mean to Severus just because he told her to be in Slytherin, and made fun of her. Or at least James Potter and Sirius Black had. Remus Lupin seemed much nicer, and she had no idea about Peter Pettigrew. Peter hadn't said much at dinner, mostly ate. He seemed to admire James Potter and Sirius Black quite a lot although Lily couldn't see what there was to admire. She decided, with a private grin to herself, that if Katy had one shortcoming, it was being friends with these two, for before they went to bed Katy had told Lily that she and James had been friends forever and she had decided Sirius was nice on the train and they had become friends as well. But with the way Katy talked about Sirius, Lily thought if she continued hanging around with him in a few years she might like him. But being eleven, this was still a bit to much to stomach so early in the morning, and fortunately, Mary Macdonald was beginning to stir.

Lily waited for her to be mostly awake and then ran over to her bed, ripped open the curtains and shouted "Good morning, Sunshine!" but much to her dismay she had not pulled the curtains on Mary's bed , but on Katy's. Mary was looking on, amused and Lily thought she might know what Lily's intent was. Katy, who had still been fast asleep, shot up in alarm and jumped out of bed, looking like she thought she was being attacked and promptly fell to the floor, not having managed to properly disentangle herself from her sheets.

Lily practically joined her on the floor she was laughing so hard. Amidst her many apologies, tears were streaming down her face. The shout had also woken up Aimy and she was watching the scene with sleepy amusement. Katy looked up at Lily laughing, grinned at her and said "I'll get you for that one Evans." Stood up, seized her pillow and began whacking Lily with it. Lily retaliated by grabbing her own pillow, but Katy had begun to run around the room to avoid being hit and so Lily had to throw whatever she could, but her not completely perfect aim combined with the speed Katy was moving resulted in her hitting Mary and Aimy and soon the four of them were having a whatever-you-can-find-that-won't-hurt fight. After about ten minutes, then all fell to the floor exhausted and then remembered they were supposed to go to breakfast and then had class so they all jumped up and hurried to get dressed and ready and get to the great hall.

By the time they had gotten to the Great Hall they had calmed down, but they still started giggling every few minutes. They sat down near the end of the table, by the doors out of the Great Hall at ate breakfast. Everything was wonderful at this school, Lily decided. Dinner last night had been better than anything she had ever had before, and she was defiantly going to have to tell the cooks here they were amazing at what they did. Only flaw in that idea is she had no idea who did the cooking, but her thoughts were quickly brought back to reality in the form of Severus Snape coming to the Gryffindor table, and people asking him what he was doing over on this side of the hall.

"Leave him alone," Lily glared at the other Gryffindors, but immediately stopped, thinking she shouldn't make enemies of her House mates on the first day. "What's up Sev?" He shrugged and made to sit down next to her, but before he could James Potter slid on to the bench next to her.

"Now what would you be doing talking up a sweet Gryffindor girl, Snivellus?" James inquired with a look of innocent confusion that no one was buying on his face.

"None of your business." Severus retorted. "Lily's my friend, and I wanted to talk to her."

"Sorry, no can do amigo, we don't want a foul Slytherin dirtying up our food now do we?" James turned to Sirius who immediately told Severus to go back to his own table. Peter, followed suit and nodded vigorously, but didn't seem inclined to join the conversation. Snape just sneered at Sirius. "You had better watch your back Black, Bella wants to kill you."

"Oh 'Bella' does, does she?" There was amusement and anger in Sirius' eyes though Lily didn't know what so weird about Severus calling some girl by her name, but Lily didn't really care. Potter and Black had just cemented themselves in her mind as annoying stupid and immature. "Well, you can tell _dear_ Bellatrix that I'm not scared of her, now clear off." And Sirius sat down. With a last glare and Potter and Black, Severus said goodbye to Lily and went back to the Slytherin table.

"Smooth James, very smooth, making enemies on your first day at school. That might be a record." Katy surveyed Lily, who was glowering at Potter and Black, and the latters, who were looking pleased with themselves, with an air of bemused exasperation. "What was with the whole Bella thing Sirius?" she finished.

"Oh, Bellatrix Black, my cousin, Bella is her nickname, so Snivellus there is making it sound like he's part of the 'in' group using it. She only doesn't let very many people call her that and chances are, he doesn't have permission." Sirius jerked his head towards Severus who was now sitting at the table. Lily dearly wished they would all just leave him alone, and as she expected, when she voiced this opinion for the second time that morning there was a cry of disagreement.

"Come on Evans, he a _Slytherin_," James was clearly disgusted. "It's written in the Gryffindor rule book that we have to hate Slytherins."

"Oh yeah?" Lily looked defiant. "And what rule book is this?" James smiled and took out a small leather bound book that looked rather like it's original purpose was to be a diary. But it had words that were not very diary like on the cover:

James Potter proudly presents….

The official rulebook for being a good GRYFFINDOR

"This rule book, if you will read the first rule of being a good Gryffindor, you will see that your little friend over is no longer allowed." And Potter shoved the little book under Lily's nose and Katy leaned over next to her so she could see as well. The first rule read

1. On no account and in no circumstances whatsoever may a GRYFFINDOR become friends with Slytherin Should a GRYFFINDOR have a previous friendship with a Slytherin, I regret to tell you said friendship must be ended and all ties severed.

"Oh very clever." Lily huffed. "Unfortunately, I do not feel obliged to follow your little rules, and now if you will excuse me, I am going to class." And with that, Lily got up and flounced out the Great Hall. As soon as she left, she realized she didn't know what class she had because schedules had not been handed out yet. She decided to find her way around the school, and asked a passing Hufflepuff for directions to the library and made her way there. She looked around for a bit then went back towards the Great Hall to see where her friends were. She was beyond relieved that Potter and his mates were gone and so she went back into the Great Hall and sat down with her friends.

"Sorry about that," she smiled. "I don't know how you stand him Katy, he drives me up a wall."

"Who James?" Lily nodded. "You get used to it, besides, he means well." Lily wasn't sure if she believed that, but nodded anyway. Aimy passed her a schedule, they had asked Professor McGonagall for Lily's.

"Thanks, and now we have to go, class starts in like ten minutes and we don't know where it is yet." The girls all jumped up and much to Lily's horror, ran into Potter just outside the Hall. She was just starting to duck behind Mary when Katy yelled out at them.

"Hey, James! James!" He looked over, and smiled at Lily, who glared back. "Do you know where Charms is?"

"I'll tell you if Lily will promise not to hang out with Snivellus." James looked at Lily again, she groaned. Correctly, it seemed to Lily, James took this a negative but did not help matter by pulling out his Gryffindor rule book again, opening to the first page again and saying "Rule number 5." Lily looked, because, even though she would never in a million years admit it, she thought the book was kind of funny, she actually though Potter was a bit amusing as well, but the annoying kind of overtook the funny, so she remained not liking him. The fifth rule read:

5. No GRYFFINDOR may refuse a promise to another as this is not a very nice thing to do and Professor McGonagall said we are supposed to be a family, and families will sacrifice the small things for each other.

"Well I guess you're just going to be a rubbish Gryffindor, Lily." Katy said giggling.

"Oh thanks, Katy." Lily was giggling as well, but she stopped as she turned back to Potter. "I can hang out with whoever I want to James Potter and you and you stupid book of rules are not going to stop me!" Potter actually looked a bit taken back, Lily was pleased to see, but it still didn't help with their class problems. Charms started in seven minutes and she still had no idea where the classroom was.

"It's just a laugh," Potter said, but he did look a bit offended, again it pleased Lily to see that. "Alright, Charms is just down the corrider and to the right up there." He pointed. "And we are going to be way late if we don't leave right now. The eight of them took off running and made it to class with two minutes to spare. Lily decided then and there the only one of the Gryffindor boys she liked was Remus because he hadn't been mean to Severus at breakfast.

Lily loved Charms. She had earned five points for Gryffindor because the class had been taught to make a feather levitate, and hers had worked on her third try. Potter, she noticed with a smirk did not manage to get his to do anything for the first half of the lesson but her smirk faltered when he got his up just as well as hers at that point. Katy was having trouble with her feather, but was getting help from Sirius and blushing furiously the whole time. Lily hadn't noticed that Sirius had gotten his up almost as fast as she did and told herself that she was going to have to work hard at beating him. She was also hoping Potter did not greatly improve any time soon as she, Potter and Black were the only three Gryffindors who got their feathers to levitate more than a foot. A couple of Hufflepuffs, who the Gryffindors had Charms with got theirs, but no more than seven or eight people got their feather in the air so the whole class was given practicing the charm for homework.

By the end of the morning, Lily was already tired, for they had spend all of Herbology walking around the greenhouses and the grounds being shown the various plants that were there by Professor Sprout. Lily was also very glad she was good at the levitation charm because she found she was not nearly as good at Transfiguration. To Lily's complete horror, but Potter and Black were very good at Transfiguration and each got five points for Gryffindor because they successfully turned their matches into needles. By the end of the class, angry that Potter and Black had gotten more points for Gryffindor that she had, and that her match had not changed at all, Lily practically flew to lunch.

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	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Pranking James_Katy_

Katy had never seen anything as funny as the look on Lily's face when James and Sirius each got five points from McGonagall for transfiguring their matches correctly. Neither Katy nor Lily managed to do anything to their match, for neither one of them could concentrate. Lily kept muttering under her breath about "Black and Potter…. five points each… ten whole points… rubbish…" and so on and Katy was working very hard not to start laughing.

Lily had bolted from the room the moment McGonagall dismissed the class Katy, Mary and Aimy went slower walking with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Katy and Mary were walking quickly at the front of the group with James and Sirius while Peter would fall behind every five or ten feet and then jog back up to them. Aimy and Remus were walking slower behind them discussing who knew what. Katy had gotten the impression both of them were a bit bookish and the snatches of conversation she heard were mostly about the classes and what they already learned.

When they got to the Great Hall, Lily had already eaten most of her lunch. "Slow down Lily, you'll make yourself choke." Remus chided at her, but he was smiling. Obviously, he was the sweetest of the boys, but Katy found she still preferred the more exciting company of James and Sirius. Lily smiled at him and mumbled something incoherent about having to do some studying in the library.

"What?" Katy was appalled. "We've only had three classes! How can you already have to go to the library? And you don't even know where the library is."

"I do too, I found it this morning after…" Lily trailed off, glaring at James who gave her a look an smiley innocence. "Oh ha ha, very convincing." Lily did not end up going to the library because she seemed to be having much more fun talking with her friends and pointedly ignoring James and only talking to Sirius if absolutely necessary.

Katy was most looking forward to Defense Against the Dark Arts and was not disappointed. It proved to be her best class. They were taught how to Disarm an opponent, and told that depending on how well their class progressed, they would learn the basics of dueling either at the end of the year or the beginning of second year.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was probably a bit trying for most of the class however, because Gryffindor had it with Slytherin and Lily went and sat with Snape, which Katy felt she shouldn't have, but didn't really mind. James seemed to feel it was his person duty to prove how much better Gryffindors were than Slytherins because he was loudly talking with Sirius and Peter about how easy this whole disarming thing was and how it didn't seem like Snape had managed to get it yet. Although, of course he used "Snivellus" every time.

Katy couldn't help but agree with James on at least one of his points. Defense Against the Dark Arts was easy. She had Disarmed Mary 15 minutes into the lesson. Katy was the second person in the class to get the spell to work, a very big Slytherin who Katy thought might possibly be repeating first year, and not for the first time because he was really quite large, got it five minutes after being taught the incantation "Expelliarmus." Katy and the big Slytherin boy both got ten points for Gryffindor for getting the charm so quickly.

Sirius was making a show of being very happy as a Gryffindor and was bent over the desk working on something with James, because most of the Slytherins spent the double period throwing nasty glances at him. From what Katy could tell, Sirius didn't really get along with this family and she thought that was why the glares didn't bother him nearly as much as they would have bothered her.

By the end of the lesson most of the class had successfully disarmed their partner at least once, and for homework were given practice so that they could it on their first try in class the next morning. Aimy and Remus, Katy had noticed, had sat at the back of the classroom talking once they had both gotten the spell down correctly.

That evening in the common room, Katy stole James' rule book from his bag because she thought is seemed funny and wanted to see how many rules James had come up with the night before. But upon looking at the cover she figured out what James and Sirius had been working on in Defense Against the Dark Arts. The cover now read:

James Potter **and Sirius Black** proudly present….The official rulebook for being a good GRYFFINDOR

Momentarily wondering what spell they had used to add more space in for Sirius' name, Katy opened it to see the first three pages full of rules. She started in with the first page.

1. On no account, and in no circumstances whatsoever may a GRYFFINDOR become friends with Slytherin. Should a GRYFFINDOR have a previous friendship with a Slytherin, I regret to tell you said friendship must be ended and all ties severed.

2. GRYFFINDOR are permitted to be friends with Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, **but must put their GRYFFINDOR friends first in all circumstances.**

3. It is never acceptable for a GRYFFINDOR to wear green and silver. **One or the other is alright, but never together.** Should a GRYFFINDOR decide to disregard this rule, they will be taken outside and tarred and feathered. **(I know where Flitwick keeps the feathers too)**

4. Pranking the Slytherins is always the correct thing to do. **They are dirty and foul and deserve to be pranked at all possible occasions.**

5. No GRYFFINDOR may refuse a promise to another as this is not a very nice thing to do** and Professor McGonagall said we are supposed to be a family, and families will sacrifice the small things for each other.**

6. There will be no rule number 7 as 7 is the most powerful magic number and I cannot think of the perfect rule just yet.

7.

8. All pranks wished to played on Slytherins must be first run by Sirius Black and James Potter**, as they are the kings of pranking Slytherins.**

Katy thought these rules needed a little bit of help, and decided to stop reading at the first one written only by Sirius, chuckling at Sirius's earlier additions, decided to add a few of her own. She didn't want to change much because they would surely notice that, so she only adjusted #8 and made a #7 so that when she was done the book now read:

_7. James Potter must be more subtle with his terribly obvious crush on Lily Evans if he does not wish for her to murder him before the end of 1st year._

8. All pranks wished to be played on Slytherins must first be run by Sirius Black and James Potter, as they are the _self-proclaimed_ kings of pranking Slytherins. _All pranks wished to be played on James and Sirius, come talk to Katy please, as she will be most glad to assist you._

Feeling satisfied with her work, Katy put the little leather book back in James' bag grinning to herself and pulled out to want to work on levitation her quill.

Twenty minutes later, she almost had the charm down and she was distracted because Lily was yelling at James. She had been somewhere else and just got back to the common room and James had jumped to interview her on her whereabouts. He was particularly keen to know if she had been with Snape. Katy thought he would have gotten a lot further along with said interview had he not refused to call Snape anything other than "Snivellus" the whole time.

"It is none of your business where I go or who I hang out with Potter!" She was bright red, and very angry. "And I do not care about your little book," for James had pulled the book out from his bag. "or what it –" she broke off, staring at the first page. Katy remembered what she had written not half an hour ago in the book and was paralyzed with fear that Lily was actually going to murder James. To her immense relief Lily burst out laughing and realizing that it was not James' or Sirius' handwriting, turned to Katy and Katy nodded, giggling and Lily gave the book back to James and came to sit down next to Katy.

James seemed quite befuddled. He didn't know what had just happened. Katy watched as he opened the book, looked down the first page and turned bright red. Katy knew there was no way he wouldn't know why had written because he knew her well enough to know her handwriting. Sirius went over to him to see what the fuss was all about and almost fell over he started laughing so hard. When he regained control of his extremities he walked over to Katy and Lily, held out his hand to Katy and said "I couldn't have planned it better myself. Brilliant! Pranking James, well done, well done." After shaking her hand, Sirius turned and walked back over to where James was still standing, frozen, staring at the page in blank shock, but with a look of determination as if he thought that if he stared at the words long enough, they would disappear and it would be like they had never been there. Katy almost felt bad, but it far too funny to feel bad for long.

So I've realized my chapters keep getting shorter, and they will get longer later, I hope!


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Potter's Crush_Lily_

"That was brilliant Katy, completely brilliant!" Mary had still not gotten over her giggles as they walked up the stairs to their dorm. "How ever do you manage to pull it off so perfectly?"

"I don't know, it just worked out like that. I thought Lily was going to kill James though." Katy turned to look at Lily who smiled innocently back.

"Now why would you think that? You know what good friends Potter and I are." She giggled at the absurdity of that statement.

"Just a little hint Lily," Aimy put in. "if you're going to pretend you're friends with someone, use their first name. It makes it a lot more believable."

"Just out of curiosity Katy, how did you manage to get those things in the book in the first place? Potter took it out his bag, and I say him and Black put it back in at the end of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I just took it out of James' bag when he and Sirius were playing chess before you came back. Then they were finishing their game so I thought I should put it back in, before they noticed, you know? But I never dreamt they would figure out what I had done in quite the manner they did." Lily knew her friend was telling the truth, and also knew even if she had done it on purpose; it was worth it to see the look on James' face when he saw what he had thrust under Lily's nose. She wouldn't have missed that for all the gold in Gringotts. However, she didn't agree.

"There is no way Potter fancies me though," she said to Katy as they opened the door the dormitory. "I mean all he does is say mean things about Severus and shove that stupid book in my face."

"Exactly, he hates it when you hang out with Snape, and he has to find something to use as an excuse for talking to you, and that book gave it to him." Lily's face fell, everything Katy said made sense, except for the Potter actually liking her part. Even if he did, and there was nothing she could do about it, she could not begin to imagine why. It wasn't like she had every said much to him, and most of what she had said hadn't been very nice. Oh well, Lily decided boys were just very weird and there was nothing she could do to help James Potter and his ridiculous crush on her. Her only real problem with this new realization of hers was that she was surrounded by weird boys. Although, on second thought, Lily decided, Remus was not weird, she could not understand why he hung out with Potter and Black, but there you are.

Lily looked up to say something about how hopeless Potter was, but realized everyone else had moved on. Katy was writing a letter to her sister and Mary and Aimy were practicing the levitation charm and transfiguring matches respectively. Lily decided she would write a letter home as well. She thought about writing a separate one for Tuney, but she probably wouldn't read it, so Lily decided to write one to her mum, dad and sister.

Lily couldn't wait until morning because they had a double period of Charms in the afternoon, and she knew if would be good to work on Defense Against the Dark Arts in the morning, but she was not looking forward to double Transfiguration. It would be bad enough starting off the day with Potter bullying Severus in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but then to have to spend the next two hours locked up in a room where he was good at the assignment and she was not? Lily decided that curses were useless and if you really wanted to cause a person pain, just lock them up with James and only provide the means of doing something he was really good at.

The next morning was by far better than Lily's first. It seemed Potter did have some human feelings in him, because all he said to her was a mumbled "Morning Evans." and he wouldn't even look her in the face. It was quite pathetic actually. Breakfast was a much more peaceful affair without Potter shouting all over the place. Lily ate slowly, she didn't run out shouting, like the day before, she had a nice conversation with Remus and Aimy about what they wanted to learn in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Since Defense wasn't a double period that morning, they had much less time, but they worked some more on Disarming. Soon there were wands flying around the room and people were working on catching the wand, for that was the next it, it was good if your opponents wand jut flew to the ground, they could just pick it up again. They had to be able to get the wand to fly out of their opponents hand and into theirs.

Lily was walking absurdly slow from DADA to Transfiguration. "Hurry up, Lily! We're going to be late, and I do not want detention on the second day of school." Mary grabbed Lily's had and pulled along the corridor and into class moments before Professor McGonagall walked the room and asked Aimy to hand out a match to each student. Potter and Black both had their matches transfigured barely a minute after they received them getting Gryffindor another ten points. Lily seethed, but determined to win some points for Gryffindor as well doubled her efforts and managed to transfigure her match ten minutes into class. Unfortunately, this was around the time most of the other students got it, and Professor McGonagall was not going to give five points to everyone.

Professor McGonagall then gave them some more very complicated notes. Only one of the Hufflepuff girls and Peter Pettigrew hadn't managed to get their match to become a needle and McGonagall was giving them a bit of a talking to about properly applying oneself and how important it was to pay attention in Transfiguration, and indeed all their classes. Lily thought this lecture was a bit overdone as she didn't think Professor McGonagall knew exactly what was happening in every class, but she did have to admit, Peter still hadn't been able to catch his partner's wand and he couldn't make his feather go up more than one or two feel before it came back down.

After taking notes for half an hour, Lily was ready to start proving she was just as good at Transfiguration as Potter and Black, but nothing she did was making any difference on her needle. Twenty minutes later Potter had a match on his desk where he used to have a needle, which earned him ten points alone, _ten points!!!_ thought Lily, but she moved on when the end of her needle got all rounded. She was successful next and she five points, which she thought was unfair since Potter got ten, but a little voice in her head kept on saying "_well he did get it first." _

By the end of the day, Potter's silence had gotten a bit annoying because he spent all day staring at Lily. She was quite unnerved by the whole thing, but now convinced he fancied her.


	6. Chapter 5

James  
_Katy  
_**Sirius**

Chapter 5 – The Rulebook Returned_Katy_

9.GRYFFINDORS must be willing to help other GRYFFINDORS with all things, schoolwork or otherwise. **Don't fall for it Lily, he's going to try to get you to tutor him or something like that.** Shut up Sirius! That isn't true Lily, I just think it's a good idea **for Lily to tutor you. Come on James you know it's true.**

_10._ _James Potter and Sirius Black have to accept that they have no life and James, if you were nicer to Lily and didn't always accuse her for being friends with Snape, she might like you more._

11. Nosy GRYFFINDOR girls like Katy Cupit have to stay out of James Potter, co-king of pranks on Slytherins, business.

**12. James Potter and Katy Cupit need to stop writing these ridiculous rules because they are just wasting rule space. Now we have two stupid rules.**

_13. Just two? How about the one you just wrote, the one I'm writing right now, and number nine?_

**14. Okay, so there were more than two, but this is the last one. James and Katy do not start another useless rule.** _You are no fun at all Sirius Black._ Come on mate, we were just getting warmed up. _Yeah, James and I have filled up a whole notebook with a silent argument. We were being really loud, and James' mum took away our voices and handed us a notebook and told we were giving her a headache._ Yeah, I think she regretted that… **wow… I don't want to know what you guys did.** Hahahahahaha!!!!! _Ooooohhh I have a real one!!_ **Then go to the next rule.**

_15. All GRYFFINDORS must by the end of their first year have acceptable handwriting, James Potter._ THAT'S NOT A REAL ONE! And my handwriting is fine thank you very much. _Yeah okay James._

Katy was having so much fun filling out the book with James and Sirius she didn't notice that Professor McGonagall was walking over towards the three of them. Katy jumped about ten feet into the air when Professor McGonagall walked over to them and asked for the book.

"I hate to disrupt this cozy little party, but I notice Miss Cupit still has not got a match on her desk, and I would rather that if you are going to pass notes in my class, you at least have completed the day's work first. Now I am going to have to take the book." Katy was just beginning wilt under the penetrating stare McGonagall was giving the three of them when she got her second shock of the day, this time from Sirius.

"But my darling Professor, we were just coming up with a list of qualities that make a truly wonderful Gryffindor, and I must say, clearly you have all them." Sirius gave her what he must have assumed was a winning smile, but she didn't buy, she just picked up the book and looked through the first page, and Katy could tell Professor McGonagall was trying to hide her amusement.

"Well," Professor McGonagall said, after looking down the first page. "I will be sure to tell Professor Flitwick to change where he keeps the feathers." And with that she turned, but before she left, she added, "Next time I catch you passing notes in my class it will be detention." When she had gone Katy breathed out a sigh of relief. James and Sirius looked furious she had taken the book. Sirius because he thought it was funny, and Katy suspected James was afraid she would embarrass him about his crush on Lily.

In the common room that evening, James and Sirius were planning how they could get their book back. Their first plan was to create some kind of commotion and then go steal it back, but that was nixed when Katy reminded them they didn't have Transfiguration again until Monday, and being on Wednesday, that would be a long time for two eleven year old boys to wait.

The two boys finally went to bad at 10:00, but were determined to go appeal to Professor McGonagall. As such, they were beyond shocked when Katy's owl delivered a very familiar looking little leather book at the breakfast the next day. It was dropped onto Katy's plate and she noticed a little note sticking out of the top which she pulled out to read.

Dear Miss Cupit,

I do hope that you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black can manage  
to find something more productive to do in my classes as the  
year progresses, however, I feel that if I return this book to  
you Miss Cupit, and it is in your possession, you may be able  
to regulate the number of times it makes unexpected  
appearances in my classroom.

Yours sincerely,  
Prof. M. McGonagall

"We got it back!!!! We got it back!!!!!!!!!!" James was ecstatic. He jumped up from his seat in the Great Hall and did a sort of overexcited jig that ended with him landing face down in his breakfast. He then sat down quite suddenly and attempted to wipe of his face until a fifth year girl took pity and him and performed a charm that clean him up. "Wait, she didn't change anything did she?" James was now concerned over the state of their precious book as he no longer had to worry about the state of his hair.

"Umm, I don't see anything, oh wait, she added a rule." Katy frowned, and then started giggling. This caused James and Sirius to frown and attempt to wrestle the book out of her hands.

16. All GRYFFINDORS must pay attention in their classes, and if they decide to do something else, they had at least better be done with all their work.

James and Sirius found this rule a bit less amusing than all of theirs, but they made no attempt to get rid of it, so Katy suspected they didn't really mind. But they immediately set to work writing more rules and form the looks of it, Katy thought they had 23 by the end of breakfast. DADA was much less fun than it had been the previous days, because after learning the spell and having two practical lessons, they spent the third day reading out of the book about Disarming spells. Katy privately thought a Disarming spell would not actually do you much good if you were being attacked, because chances are there would be more than one person there to attack you if you managed to hurt or kill the first one. She couldn't imagine why anyone would even think to use it in a duel. It seemed to Katy, Disarming was only useful if you were sneaking up on someone and you knew they were alone.

After DADA they had had Charms. Katy wished she were better at Charms, but Sirius would always help her, and the day before they had had a double period in the afternoon, and with his help, she had gotten full control over her feather. This particular class started with Professor Flitwick going around the room and watching people levitate their feather, to grade them properly. Even though Charms was not her best subject, she liked Flitwick, and had got the impression he was a fair teacher. For homework they were told to look through their book and decide which sort of Charm they would most like to learn and write a short essay about why, six inches to a foot long at most. When Flitwick dismissed the class, Mary raised her hand to ask where the dungeons were, as they had Potions next and had not had it yet. After being told how to get there, the Gryffindors followed the Hufflepuffs out of the classroom and went a different direction, as they had History of Magic, and one of them said they had it with the Slytherins, which meant that there would probably be Ravenclaws down in the dungeons when they arrived, and indeed there were.

Professor Slughorn, Katy thought his name was a bit funny, turned out to be a very happy sort of person, who immensely enjoyed his job. At the front of the room he had a potion already made, and when everybody made to go up and see it, he stepped in front of it so they could not.

"Now, now, no peeking. Sit down and you will see this potion in good time, you will be making it on Monday, but for now, we will be discussing the ingredients, where you would find them, and what other uses they might have." He instructed the class to open to page seven in their textbook and read just page seven and then they would have their discussion. Katy read the page, it was a simple enough looking potion for curing boils. She didn't think she could pronounce very many of the ingredients correctly, and so for her part of the class discussion, tried not to have to use any of the names. Lily seemed to really like Potions already, and Katy was surprised that Lily seemed to be able to pronounce everything correctly.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Potter Problems_Lily _

After lunch the first year Gryffindors had a double period of Herbology, which Lily enjoyed, although she would have liked the class better, if she didn't usually get so dirty. Fortunately it was their last class, and being good and soiled, they are ran back to Gryffindor tower to shower, and try to get a bit of their homework done before dinner. They had their essay from Flitwick, but it wasn't due until Tuesday, so most of them put it off, and got to work on a foot long essay they had just been assigned by Professor Sprout which would be due the next day.

At dinner, Potter was leaning over Lily to grab some more chicken and he knocked her pumpkin juice onto her plate.

"What is your problem Potter? Can't you ask for someone to pass the food instead of knocking over my juice?" Lily was angry, she didn't care that it had been an accident; she found she got mad at Potter for every little thing since her friends had convinced her he fancied her. She was also beginning to miss the embarrassed, quiet Potter that the Gryffindors had been treated to the day before.

After lunch was over on Friday, Lily noticed Potter and Black left the Great Hall a couple minutes earlier than usual and came back with their homework for Charms, Astrology and Potions. Even though all her senses were telling her not to ask, she had to know why they brought all their stuff.

"Well, my dearest Miss Evans," Potter replied when she finally gave in to her curiosity. "we have a double period of History of Magic for the rest of the day, and I have been told that class usually puts every to sleep. So, Mr. Black and myself decided that instead of going to sleep, we were going to complete out homework for the weekend. That way we will be able to devote our weekend to pranking dear Mr. Snivellus." While Lily had to admit that getting your homework done early was a good idea, she was outraged at their reasoning for doing so. She glowered at the pair of them.

"Do not lay a finger on Severus or I will never speak to you again Potter." Lily wished she had thought of bringing her homework to History of Magic, but there was no way she was going to now. Katy, however, seemed to be able to take advice from Potter and Black and shouted "That's a great idea!" and ran to go get her books, and Lily was pleased to see she had brought a bunch of extra parchment and ink and an extra quill, so that Lily could do her work as well.

As much as Lily hated to admit it, Potter was right. If she hadn't had something to do, she would have been asleep or at least in a stupor like the rest of the class. She was amazed that Aimy and Remus both seemed to be able to resist the temptation to slip away from class and were both diligently taking notes. Lily would have to ask Aimy to borrow her notes, as soon as she could.

Lily was actually rather pleased with her afternoon, it took her about ten minutes to tune out Professor Binns' voice, but she did, she was able to work in peace, only whispering to Katy when she needed to borrow a start chart to look at for Astronomy, or the Charms book to decide what she most wanted to learn. By the end of the two hours, she had finished everything except her Charms homework, but she reasoned it wasn't due until Tuesday and as long as Binns didn't assign anything too terrible, she would finish it that evening, and have no homework over the weekend. Everyone was quite glad there was no homework for History of Magic, and immediately after dinner, Lily finished her Charms essay and sank into one of the squashy armchairs, ready for a restful weekend.

_Fat chance_ she thought bitterly as Potter and Black came into the common room laughing loudly about something. _I have got to get away from them for two seconds._ Lily got up and left the common room, figuring she could wander around for a little while, maybe go to the library and poke around for a bit. She was also hoping she might run into Severus, she hadn't gotten to talk to him much at all this week, and she wanted to know how his first week went. She was pleased when she ran into him near the library.

"Sev – hey, Severus. How was your week? Mine was long, but it was so much fun, and I'm done with all my homework, so I don't have anything I have to do this weekend, so can we hang out? I don't know what you have to do this weekend?" She looked up him, he brushed his hair out of his face and smiled at her.

"I still have some homework, but I was going to the library to do it now, can you help me?" He almost seemed like he was pleading, which Lily thought was a bit odd, but she was happy to have an excuse to hang out with him, cause she felt bad that she hadn't during the week.

As the two of them walked towards the library, Severus started talking about what he had done all week and Lily suddenly realized she hadn't been listening because she remembered what Potter and Black had said about pranking Severus. She was furious with herself because she had been ignoring her friend thinking about the only person she truly disliked. She didn't think it was strong enough dislike to call it hate, but she thought it was sure getting there and it was only the third day at Hogwarts!

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Lily walked along with Severus to the library and they settled down at a table so that Lily could help him with his homework. She discovered that, he, like her, had finished his Potions essay earlier that day and she was delighted that they both had a class it seemed like they would be good at and be able to talk about. He hadn't really like Charms much so he didn't have his essay for it even started because he wasn't all that excited about the class. Lily told him to just pick a Charm that he thought could be fun and write about it.

"There is no way Flitwick is going to mark you down because it isn't actually your favorite Charm in the book, Sev." She grinned at him and he smiled sheepishly back. Lily was quite happy to stay in the library working with him because she was starting to forget what it was like not to extremely dislike the boys she came in contact with.

Lily had been quite pleased when she saw that McGonagall had confiscated Potter's stupid little rule book, and dismayed when it was returned to them. _At least, _she had tried to consul herself_ it was technically given back to Katy, so maybe Potter won't get to shove at me anymore._ However, the next morning proved to disregard that small hope. Lily almost smacked herself for forgetting that Katy and Potter were good friends, so obviously Katy was going to give him back the book. He accosted her as soon as she got back to the common room. "Where have you been Evans? Didn't you read rule number…." He broke off here, finding the appropriate rule. But before he could Black came over and looked at Potter in a surprised way.

"Number 1, James. Right at the top. Sorry Lil, but you can't hang out with Snevillus. And that's just the way it works." Lily swelled angrily at that.

"Do NOT call me 'Lil' Black. My name is Lily. And for the millionth time, I will hang out with whoever I want!" she pushed the two of them away and huffed down on the couch next to Katy who trying, and failing, to conceal her giggles. "It's not funny Kate, he would drive me round the bend if I hung out with him as much as you do." And as much as she hated it, Lily couldn't help but smile at the fresh round of giggles that produced from Katy.

"Or maybe you would realize he's not that bad after all. He's really nice, Lily. He really is, besides, don't you think it's even a little bit funny how obsessed with you he is?" Lily had to giggle at that.

"Obsessed with Severus, more like. Whenever he talks to me it's about me hanging out with Severus, why is that such a big deal." Katy looked shocked that Lily was asking that.

"Well, I don't think he is obsessed with Snape, and if he is, I doubt it's because he fancies _him_. You know why it's such a big deal! He's afraid you'll like Snape and start going out with him or something. Add the fact that Snape is a Slytherin and James has all the excuses he needs. You notice no one is defending you? That's cause Snape is a Slytherin. If you were friend with a Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, other people would tell him to leave you alone, but _Slytherin_ Come on Lil." Lily glared at her friend, but didn't care when Katy called her Lil, even though she had blown up at Black only moments before. No, Lily was glaring because of what Katy had said. It wasn't fair that everyone in Gryffindor was going to side with Potter just because Severus was a Slytherin. She had even hoped Katy, at least might understand, but the fact that she referred to Severus as 'Snape' squashed all of Lily's hopes of the two getting along. She was upset about it and she didn't want to get into an argument with Katy.

"I think I'm going to go to bed. 'Night." And with that Lily got up and walked out of the room, her last sight of her friend and her two less than friends was Potter looking disappointed, Black laughing at him for being disappointed and Katy looking surprised and almost a little offended. Lily hoped she wouldn't be too mad at her, but knew that she, herself would have gotten mad if she had stayed any longer. As she got upstairs she was immediately glad she had left for she had a funny feeling in her throat and she would not have wanted to start crying in front of James Potter. Lily told herself that she was eleven years old and was not a baby so she would not start crying. But after changing into her pajamas and getting into bed, she firmly told herself not to cry as the first tear went down her cheek. Lily was a little bewildered, she didn't know why she was crying. She didn't care what Potter or Black thought of her. She had never really thought any of her Gryffindor friends would ever really _like_ Severus, but she had hoped they would tolerate him, but Katy was content to just sit on the couch and watch her get bullied about being friends with a Slytherin by Potter. She convinced herself that was what was troubling her and that was why she was crying. Her last thoughts before she fell asleep was hoping Katy would still be her friend in the morning and wishing she knew some good jinxes to use on Potter.

If you have any ideas for rules inthe book, I would love to hear theme. A million hugs and kisses if you review!!


	8. Chapter 7

I own nothing. it is all JKR's.

_Katy  
_James  
**Sirius  
**_Remus  
_Peter

there are notes in this chapter and those are the handwritings.

Chapter 7  
_Katy_

Lily had glared fiercely at Katy and then stomped away after saying she was going to bed. _Fine way to start the first weekend.__ With my best friend mad at me._ Katy thought bitterly as she watched Lily's long red hair disappear up the stairs behind her. Barely had the thought formed that Katy scolded herself for it. I _really shouldn't have said those things about Snape. He _is _her friend. And I shouldn't have sided with __James,__ she needs someone to agree with her. Although, I really don't like Snape, but she's not asking me to hang out with him that would be a bit much. _Katy decided to apologize because she really didn't want Lily to be mad at her, and so she went upstairs, but when she got to the door she heard a muffled sob, and decided to leave Lily with her feelings for a little while. It always greatly bothered her when her sister Lucie would come barging in on her when she was upset, and she thought Lily might be the same way.

The next morning, Lily still hadn't pulled back her curtains when the other three went to breakfast, but Katy suspected she was waiting for them so she could see them on her own terms. Katy was delighted when her owl came into the Great Hall at breakfast, she thought it might have a letter from Lucie, and it did, but it also a single piece of parchment that looked as if it had been ripped off a bigger sheet bearing the words "I'm sorry" scribbled in the middle. Katy smiled at the method of apology and looked up the entrance of the Great Hall and there was Lily, looking hopefully towards her. Katy smiled and beckoned to her and Lily ran over and began apologizing again.

"Don't Lily, you don't need to. I shouldn't have said what I did. I felt awful the minute you left. And I think James did too." Lily smiled at her friend, but frowned to no one in particular at the mention of James. "He was really sad when you left. He's actually trying to be nice to you, but he treats you how he would treat me in the same situation, he just hasn't realized he needs to get to know a person before they can act how he does towards them. He's like a little kid really."

"He's like a two year old." Lily snapped, but from the look on her face, Katy could tell Lily was trying to stay civil, even towards James. James, himself sauntered in at just that moment and attempted to give Lily a smile but she turned her back on him and pointedly waved to Snape at the Slytherin table who visibly brightened, and Katy noticed he seemed to be watching Lily a little too closely.

Katy did not want to focus her attention on Snape so she turned to her fellow Gryffindors and noticed something new. James and Sirius seemed to be have recruited Remus and Peter into their gang. The four of them were leaning over something, and Katy had a sneaky feeling that something might turn its attention on Snape, and probably not in a positive way, at least not for Snape. Next to the boys, Aimy and Mary were planning out the weekend. They were going to explore the entire castle so that they would never get lost again, and part way thought their conversation, James leaned over towards them.

"If you guys do that, you can't go with us. We're going to find all the secret passages and we don't want anyone else to know about them." Katy had to admit James really was arrogant sometimes. Aimy turned her nose up at him and went back to planning with Mary. Katy sincerely hoped James did not make enemies of all the other girls in Gryffindor. Lily had snorted loudly at James' proclamation and Katy knew he had a least made one enemy in his first days at Hogwarts. _Well, two,_ she reasoned with herself, _if Lily hates him, probably Snape will as well._ With a glance at the Slytherin table she saw Snape glancing back and forth between James and Lily, a look of loathing for the former and something Katy could only place as hunger for the latter, and the look made her shiver. She was glad no one was looking at her like that, but was certain James had made himself two enemies before being at Hogwarts for a week.

"It's okay with me if you want to hang out with Snape, Lily." Katy thought she should try to be extra nice about Lily's out of place friendship, and making sure Lily knew Katy wouldn't be offended if she went around with Snape for a while was essential. Lily smiled and nodded, but didn't, as Katy expected, get up to go walk over to Snape. Katy was about to ask why when she answered the question for herself. Lily was muggleborn, and she didn't think the Slytherins would take to well to her presence at their table. She also suspected that if the Slytherins knew how much Snape liked Lily, they might not like him as much. Katy decided she was friends with one of the nicest girls in England, and hoped they would stay friends for a long time.

"So anybody have any new ideas for the rule book?" Sirius asked as he looked down what they already had. Katy shrugged and James immediately started to think in the obvious way he has; staring up at the sky with his hand on his chin was always the give-away that James was in a world far away from everybody else.

"You need to have something about what to do if a person from another house attempts to prank one of us." Remus put in timidly, as if he was afraid the idea would be scoffed at and his acceptance in their group questioned.

"That's brilliant!!" James came out of his reverie quite suddenly and clapped Remus on the back, causing the blonde boy to wince and clutch his side. Katy wondered if he had had some sort or internal sickness, because she couldn't come up with any other reason for the obvious pain he had felt and it didn't look like James had hit him _that_ hard. Sirius and James were both completely obvious. Remus seemed to sense that Katy was watching him, because he glanced over at her, arranged his features into a neutral position and gave her a smile. Katy did not buy it for a minute and he seemed to realize that because he next gave her a look of what she thought was pleading, and while she didn't think there was anything to plead about, she smiled and they continued walking. Katy thought the whole thing had been a bit odd. There was nothing shameful about being sore after being sick, maybe he had had surgery shortly before he came, and he had a scar near where James had hit him. Katy had no time to dwell on this thought, because James immediately told everyone their newest rule.

"24. If a Slytherin makes any attempt to hurt, or prank a Gryffindor, then the Gryffindor must tell all other Gryffindors so that appropriate actions can be taken in getting back at said Slytherin." Remus looked a bit pleased with himself, and again Katy noted that he seemed so surprised that he was accepted in this group and she wondered what made him seem that way. He seemed like a perfectly nice, normal sort of boy, not the kind she would expect to have a deep hidden secret at all. She smiled at him one more time and then the five Gryffindors went back into the castle to search for secret passageways. James had decided that Katy was an honorary boy and was, therefore, allowed to go with them.

So why exactly are we here again Katy? The note was placed on the book Katy was pretending to read. They were in the library and the librarian had already told them to be quiet twice, so they had resorted to writing notes.

_You're the one who wanted to come here James._

No way. Why did I suggest this again????

**You didn't give a good reason at all.** Sirius had intercepted the note on its way to Katy. **You tried to say you had something you needed to look up, but you wouldn't tell us what it was…**

_And we have all come to the conclusion you just wanted to spy on Lily and Snape cause you haven't done anything else the whole time we've been here._

What does she even think she's playing at, hanging out with him? He's a Slytherin for Merlin's sake! And a grease-ball to add to his numerous qualities.

_You're kind of pathetic, James. Kind of._ Katy was again surprised at how timid Remus was about insulting James. Sirius did it all the time.

**Kind of??? Come on Remus, he's the most pathetic creature I've ever seen. And that's counting my mum's stupid house elf.**

_Really Sirius? The **most** pathetic creature? Wow._

Um, guys? Snevillus and Evans are coming over here. Katy rolled her eyes at Peter's obsession with being just like James and Sirius… Snevillus and Evans, Katy had to work hard not to laugh. She had to work even harder when James immediately sat up straight and ran his hands though his hair. Sirius grabbed the parchment they had been writing on and turned it upside down. Then seemed to think it would be safer if he stacked all the books on the table on top of it, so that by the time Snape and Lily had got to their table, they had a pile of seven rather large books right in front of Sirius and no one else had any. Lily raised her eyebrows skeptically at Sirius, but otherwise did nothing to show she found anything unusual about the scene. Snape was less tactful.

"What are you doing with all those books Black?" he sneered. "Finally decide it would be worthwhile to learn to read?" James looked like he was about to jump up and hit Snape, but Sirius kicked him under the table, and caught Katy as well. She glared at him, but he didn't notice because he was too busy glaring at Snape with the fiercest look Katy had ever seen.

"Mind where you stick your greasy nose Snevillus." He retorted, seething and firmly turned away from him. James was still glaring so hard Katy thought it was likely he was trying to blow Snape up. The first time he had shown any concrete signs on magic had been blowing up a vase when his mother wanted him to take a bath after he had snuck out to try to teach himself to play Quidditch in the pouring rain and had come back inside thoroughly muddy.

"I think we should go," James said when he seemed to realize his current method of eradicating Snape was not working. "Don't want any of Snevilly's grease to rub off on me. I'd have to shower for at least week if he came at all near me." Snape stepped toward James, a rather threatening look on his face. "I said, don't come near me." Snape smiled maliciously, obviously thinking that James was scared of him and Katy decided this could get out hand soon and get them all kicked out of the library.

"Come on, James, you're right, we really should go. In fact I think I remember you telling me you would help me with some homework and I've just remembered I left it in the common room." And with an apologetic look to Lily and a glare at Snape, Katy grabbed a hold of both James' and Sirius' arms and marched out of the library. She knew that Remus and Peter would follow them, so she wasn't worried that she hadn't grabbed a hold of them too.

"Don't listen to him, Sirius. He's a prat." Katy gave Sirius what she hoped was an encouraging smile, and he shrugged back.

"I always knew that I'd get a lot of crap from my family if I wasn't in Slytherin. But I hadn't thought about the other Slytherins." Sirius looked a bit depressed and Katy wasn't sure what the best way to cheer him up would be. James, however seemed to have a better idea. He suggested they go come up with a perfect prank to play on Snape.

Back in the common room, Katy went up to the boy's dormitory with them to listen to their plans. They had decided to get back at Snape for making fun of Sirius being a Gryffindor they would make Snape declare his true love for Gryffindor. They didn't actually know all that much magic, but they thought that making Snape's hair flash scarlet and gold would be enough until they learned magic that would let them get him really good.

The next day was when they decided to launch their prank. Part 1 involved first the coloring of Snape's hair, to be done by Sirius, and then Remus, who was best at Charms, was going to make it flash the two colors. Although Katy thought this little idea might earn the boys a detention, she was quite excited for it. As much as she liked Lily, she thought she had demonstrated bad judgment when she became friends with Snape. Katy could not for the life of her come up with a hypothetical situation that would make Lily and Snape friends.

In the morning, Katy went to breakfast with Lily, Mary and Aimy, but she was watching Remus the whole time. Sirius, she knew, was hiding behind a suit of armor outside the Great Hall waiting for the Slytherins to come up to breakfast. At last she noticed the first of them coming in, she stopped even pretending to be a part of the girl's conversation and just watched the entrance to the Hall. She heard an angry yell, and knew that Part 1 had been successful. Snape then came running into the hall, half his head a brilliant scarlet, and half a very shiny gold. He stormed over to the Gryffindor table looking like he was ready to murder someone.

"POTTER I WILL GET YOU FOR THIS. I WILL KILL YOU!!!" James gave him a look of utmost innocence in response.

"I didn't do anything, I've been here all along, I got down to breakfast ten minutes ago." Remus and Peter both nodded, but Snape did not seem to buy it.

"He's actually telling the truth, Severus." To everyone's surprise Lily was the one to defend James, although Katy had a feeling it wasn't exactly for James' benefit. "You don't want to get detention for wasting your time, hurting Potter." Snape smiled at Lily, in the same way Katy had seen him looking at her the day before, and again it gave her the shivers. He scanned the group of Gryffindor first years.

"Black." Snape was snarling now. "Where is Black? Why isn't he here. He did this. I know it!" At this, Katy burst out laughing. "What do you want Cupit?"

"It just that-" Katy broke off, laughing to hard. "Just that you're so mad, and – and you're hair is flashing, and – and, it's just so…" She couldn't continue, it was beyond funny. Remus had performed his part of the prank while Snape was yelling.

Snape seized a piece of his hair and pulled it in front of his eyes, they popped when he saw the piece of hair flashing scarlet and gold.

"BLACK!!"

"Yes, Snivellus?" Sirius had appeared out of nowhere, he was farther down the table then they were, and Katy could not fathom how he had gotten down there without anyone noticing. "Can I help you with – wow, nice hairdo. But, it I may say so, it doesn't really suit you. Besides, you're tainting the otherwise clean colors of Gryffindor House." Katy was even surprised at how good an actor Sirius was. If she hadn't known he was the one who did it, she would have believed that he truly didn't know it was going to happen.

"Is there some sort of problem?" Professor Sprout had appeared out of nowhere. She gave Snape an odd look. "That's an…" she seemed to be searching for the right word. "…interesting way to fix your hair Mr. Snape. And what are you doing over here?" Snape looked ready to burst.

"I did NOT do this to my hair. HE DID!" Snape screeched, pointing at Sirius who smiled in an innocent way at Professor Sprout.

"Me?" Sirius looked affronted. "Why would I do that, I have already said that I think it is an insult to Gryffindor and I think the person who did this ought to be punished." Professor Sprout just shook her head and told Snape to go back to the Slytherin table.

"Like this??" He was appalled. "They'll murder me!"

"Teacher said." James smiled at Snape angelically. Snape turned and fled from the Great Hall. Lily looked like she was going to punch Sirius and James, but didn't because Professor Sprout was still right there. She huffed at the two boys and ran out after Snape. As soon as Lily was gone, the entire Gryffindor table burst out laughing.

"I'd be a bit more subtle next time, Mr. Black." Professor Sprout shook her head and walked away.

"That was brilliant! How did you get in the Great Hall without him seeing you, Sirius?" Katy was dying to know what he had done. Sirius however, was not so keen on telling them. He just smiled mysteriously and changed the subject.

Please review!!!!!


	9. Chapter 8

i don't own this

Chapter 8  
_Lily_

It was official, Lily Evans hated James Potter. The whole school knew, but James especially knew. He was not happy, Lily didn't care. Every time he came into a room, she would go storming out of it muttering about "that stupid Potter" under her breath. Lily knew that James was behind what happened to Severus. Even if Black was the one who actually did the prank, Lily hated him as well, James was behind it, she knew. Potter tried almost every day to get in her good graces, but she wasn't having it. She hated that all the Gryffindor first years had all their classes together. It was not fair that she had to spend that much time in close contact with Potter every day.

The one thing that bothered her about this hatred for James Potter was that it was not shared by Katy. It meant that sometimes it was hard for her to hang out with Katy because Katy did not want to go somewhere else every time Potter came in the room and Lily could not stand to be near him.

Potter had no reason to hate Severus. He was a Slytherin, but that was the only thing against him. Lily did remind herself that everybody said Potter fancied her, but she couldn't believe he was thick enough to think she was going to start going out Severus. He was one of her best friends, but that was all. Potter was a stupid boy who was not worth Lily's time. She hated that he was practically everywhere and so almost always on her mind.

"Please Katy, can we hang out without Potter? Please?" Lily was practically begging. She wanted to hang out with Katy, but with Katy tended to come Potter and his little gang.

"Okay Lily, we don't have to hang out with them. But what's the big deal? They're actually pretty nice." Lily scoffed.

"Yeah, a real charmer." Katy rolled her eyes and then giggled.

"We can do something without him. Girls only, we won't even let Remus or Peter near us." Lily smiled at Katy for that.

"What is with Peter anyway? He, like, worships Potter and Black."

"I know," Katy smiled. "he loves them. Thought I can't think why."

"_You_ like them Miss Cupit." Lily said Miss Cupit in such a frightfully good imitation of Professor McGonagall that Katy jumped a bit.

"That was scary Lily. Never again." Then Katy suddenly got a very evil smile. "Except to James. You can McGonagall him." Lily grinned and the two girls walked out of the castle into the grounds and had a Potter and Black free afternoon.

It seemed to Lily that because they had made it through the first week, their teachers had decided they were going to make it and were showing that by giving them more homework. On Monday

they got a foot long essay about the correct way to brew the boil eliminating potion, a complete chart of Saturn and its rings, extra practice for Transfiguration and a foot long essay for Professor Binns about who knew what. Lily made a mental note to ask Aimy because all she had heard was Professor Binns saying he wanted one foot on the topic of that day for class on Thursday. Lily and Katy had been rather busy with their Potions essay. Lily thought that Binns might have thought all the books they had out were related to his class, Katy had mentioned that she thought he was talking about goblins, but so much had happened between wizards and goblins, that wasn't much to go by.

"How do we have this much homework?" Katy complained as they walked back to Gryffindor Tower. "And it's only Monday." She sighed dramatically, gave the Fat Lady the password and she followed Lily into the common room. Lily groaned because Potter was in the common room, but she didn't want to leave so she picked some chairs as far away from the boys as she could and sat down. Mary, Katy and Aimy sat down on the chairs near her, and got out some parchment to work on their homework.

"Let's get the Binns essay done, then we won't forget about it later." Mary suggested and everyone nodded. Lily, Katy and Mary all then looked at Aimy. None of them even knew what the topic was. She grinned.

"You don't even know what the essay is supposed to be about do you?" they all shook their heads. "What were you going in class then?

"Astronomy." Katy answered and Lily and Mary nodded. Lily thought it would be nice if Aimy would just tell them, but also knew she should do her own work.

"Well, here are my notes." And Aimy got out a large parchment of notes having to do with goblins, just like Katy had said. Lily grinned at her friends and then the four girls all bent over their parchments and began writing.

At half past nine they had finished the goblin essays and then Lily had Mary look ever her Astronomy chart and they helped Aimy get hers done. The only piece of homework they hadn't done was Potions, but they had a few days for it. They all pulled out their wands and began practicing for Transfiguration which they did have the next day.

Lily was having a wonderful morning. She had been successful in Charms long before Potter or Black, and Herbology had been quite fun. Her good mood was dampened when she realized that the next class was Transfiguration. She hated not being as good as Potter at that class. As usual, he finished about ten minutes into class, helped Black get his a few minutes later and then the two of them began working on something that Lily was sure was not Transfiguration. She wished she knew what it was so that she could properly get them in trouble, but decided her time was better spent doing her class work. She bent over her desk saying the incantation but she couldn't concentrate. Every few minutes Potter or Black would laugh or shout something like "Yes!" or "That's perfect!" and it made it impossible to think. After a little while, Lily noticed that they had let Remus in on the joke, but Peter was still working. Lily suspected he was remembering McGonagall's lecture and determined not to earn himself another.

"I'm telling you guys, it would be impossible. Do you realize how advanced that is?" Lily was intrigued by Remus' comment. She wanted to know what exactly Potter and Black were up to. She scooted her chair closer to them, trying to hear.

"What are you doing, Lily?" Katy had noticed the seating rearrangement.

"I want to know what _they _are doing." Lily said with distaste, motioning toward the boys.

"Well you'll never find out like that." And Katy picked up her chair and moved it to the other side of her desk so that she was at least 3 feet closer to them than before.

"Do you realize how many rules that would break?" Remus seemed to be trying to convince Potter and Black against whatever it is they were trying to do.

"That's hopeless," Katy whispered to Lily, trying to still hear the boys' conversation. "Once James has made up his mind, it's made. Sirius seems like that as well."

"No, we could do it!" James looked excited and this made Lily quite apprehensive. She knew that nothing that excited him could be a good thing for anyone other than his close friends.

"Yeah, we'd be like, the coolest people in the school if we actually did it, and right too." Sirius joined James in, what seemed to Lily, as trying to convince Remus to help them. At that moment, either Peter finished working, or gave up because he joined the group, asking what they were working on. James looked around to make sure no one was listening and was not at all fooled by Katy and Lily diving back to their work and pretending they hadn't been listening.

"Way to keep your cover, Evans." He smirked and Lily felt her blood boil just looking at him.

"Why would I even want to look at you?" She was having a hard time keeping her voice quiet enough that McGonagall didn't come over to see what was going on.

"I don't know, Evans, you were the one doing it. You tell me."

"Shut up Potter!" Lily was no longer whispering and had managed to attract the attention of Professor McGonagall.

"What's going on over there, Miss Evans?" McGonagall began walking over towards them.

"Nothing, Professor." James smiled. "I was just explaining the theory of this assignment to Evans here, just helping out." Professor McGonagall did not seem to buy it and turned to Lily for conformation. Lily was royally pissed at James. She had to agree that he was helping her, because otherwise it would be obvious that she had not been paying attention either, and Lily did not want detention.

"Yes, Professor, Potter was just helping me and Katy. That's all." Professor McGonagall seemed suspicious, but also seemed to decide it must have not been serious if Lily was going along with whatever it was, and turned to tell some Hufflepuffs to be quiet and get to work. James grinned at Lily and Katy, Katy grinned back and Lily scowled. He then turned back to his table and resumed convincing Remus of the benefits of whatever it was they were trying to do.

"I really want to know what it is." Lily was still trying to figure it out, but now that the boys knew they were being listened to, they were talking much more quietly.

"James might tell me. He tells me mostly everything." Katy got up and walked over to the table James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were whispering at. "So what are you working on?"

"Nothing!" Remus looked a bit like a deer in headlights to Lily. She burst out laughing.

"You're going to tell Evans, who will tell McGonagall, will give us detention, so we aren't telling you Katy." James did look like he was a bit sorry for keeping secrets from his friend, but Lily still thought he was an arrogant jerk.

"I didn't send her over." Lily joined the other five around a table made for two. "She wants to know what you're doing. It has nothing to do with me."

"This time I will not believe you are helping Miss Evans, Potter." Lily gulped. Professor McGonagall had come back. How much had she heard? Lily knew what was coming. "I'm afraid I will have to give the six of you detention. I believe you three," she motioned at Potter, Black and Katy. "had a warning last week."

"Actually, Professor," James gave her a 'winning' smile. "you told us we would get detention if you caught us passing notes again, and there aren't any notes here."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, you were warned not to break class rules, and you have. All of you have. I am surprised at you, Miss Evans, Mr. Lupin." She looked at them, and Lily almost thought she was truly sorry, and then she turned at walked away.

"Great job Potter, you got us all detention." Lily was working very hard not to yell.

"Ease up, Evans, it's just detention." Potter rolled his eyes at her, clearly amused by how worked up she was. Lily was afraid she would attempt to strangle him, and so turned, went back to her desk and looked firmly away from him for the rest of the period.

_He got me in detention,_ Lily had not thought she could hate James Potter anymore than she did, but now she knew she could,_ I am never talking to him again!_

They had their detention the following night. Lily was still madder at James than she had ever been, and was even a little frustrated with Katy because she did not seem to care at all about them having detention. Potter and his little gang didn't care either. Lily suspected they would be spending most of their years at Hogwarts in detention and so just went with it.

Professor McGonagall had told them that because they weren't severely breaking any rules, they would just be polishing trophies in the trophy room. Lily wasn't sure about this. It meant that she would have to be in the same room as Potter, but it meant she was not going to be alone with a teacher. She had been dreading that idea all day.

"Right, so there are the rags, there is the polish. Everyone take one can of polish and one rag and get to work. You may not use magic to help your work. I shall know if you do. You all know

your sections. You may leave when you have completed your cases. Every single trophy, even if you think it cannot be seen, it needs to be clean." Professor McGonagall gave them one last piercing stare and left the room.

Lily immediately started working, she could leave when she finished, that was the best news she had heard all day. Potter and Black both started flicking polish at each other, but then both seemed to get bored of that and started spraying Peter instead who protested loudly.

"Shut up, Peter! Do you want McGonagall to come back? Or Filch?" Filch was the new caretaker. He had only been there for two years, and already he hated every person under the age of thirty who came near the castle.

"Stop it you guys. I'm trying to work." Peter complained to them and motioned toward his shelves. Potter just shrugged and dumped his whole can of polish over Peter.

"James!" he pulled out his wand.

"Don't Peter," Katy interrupted. "You can't use a cleaning spell. McGonagall will think you're cheating. And, James, how do you propose to explain why all you polish is gone, but you havn't even started. Oh wait, you won't have to, McGonagall will know what you did the moment she walks in here."

"She left that spell up there for a reason, Katy. Weren't you listening to her?" Katy stuck her tongue out at Potter. Apparently she had forgotten about the refilling spell McGonagall had written on the door. James quickly said the incantation and his can refilled. He smiled.

"Now she won't know who spilled on Peter."

"I bet she'll have a pretty good guess." Lily scowled at Potter. He really was the most annoying person she had ever met. Lily went back to her cleaning, praying it would go quickly so that she could get out of there. The fates were not apparently with her. Three hours later, all six of them came out, most of them sporting some sort of polish on themselves, courtesy of Potter.

"Thanks, Potter. This will only take about ten showers to get out." Lily dearly hoped he could tell she did not mean what she had said.

"Anytime, Evans, anytime." He smiled at her in a weird lopsided sort of way. She gave him the usual glare. They had reached the Fat Lady, once in the common room, they parted ways; boys in one direction, girls in the other.

so i know detention doesn't work like that, but whatever. i just wanted to try it out.  
also, any idead on pranks i would love them, or rules. i definatly want to know them

reviews reviews reviews  
i will send you a huge chocolate cake if you review me.


	10. Chapter 9

i do not own these characters. just my lovely little concoctions...

Chapter 9  
_Katy_

Although, out loud Katy decided to agree with Lily and say she hated detention, she had actually thought that for punishment it wasn't all that bad. They had been allowed to talk to each other, which Katy knew would not happen very often, and Filch had not been breathing down their necks all night.

When they got back to the dorm, Katy let Lily rant about how much she hated James, she was getting so loud, she woke up Mary and Aimy who had were both asleep. They wanted to know what they had had to do for detention, and once they had heard, gave their opinions and went back to sleep.

Katy had never been more happy that she was at Hogwarts, the weeks passed and soon it was getting colder and then it was Halloween. There was an enormous feast, which was some of the best food, even at Hogwarts, that Katy had ever had. She thought it was quite good that Halloween was a Friday, because Sirius ate so much food, and fell asleep so quickly, Katy thought it was unlikely he would wake up for several days.

The weather was getting colder, and soon it was the end of November and there was snow on the grounds. James and Sirius bewitched all the snow people constructed by various students to throw piles of snow at any passing Slytherin, and it was quite funny to watch the Slytherins when they were walking through the grounds and were suddenly covered in snow. James was rather proud of this particular prank. It had been Sirius' idea, but James had been the one to carry it out, with Remus' help of course. He was clearly the brains of their gang, with James as the leader, Sirius was almost as much of a leader as James, but he got distracted more easily and Peter was devoted follower.

"What are you going to do for Christmas?" Katy asked the other girls one night in the dormitory in early December.

"I'm going on holiday with my parents." Aimy said. "We're visiting my brother in Spain."

"I'm just going home, my little sister turned two last month, so we won't be going anywhere for at least a year." Mary grimaced, but then brightened. "She's dead cute thought, so it's okay."

"I think I'm going to stay here. But I don't know if my mum will let me." Katy had been hoping she would be allowed to stay, but wasn't sure she would.

"I think I'm supposed to go home, but I hope Tuney has forgiven me for coming here, otherwise it will be terrible." Lily looked quite worried.

"You should stay with me!" Katy had also been hoping one of the other girls would stay. She knew that the boys were staying and hoped that wouldn't make Lily decide to go.

"If my parents agree, maybe I will."

"Oh please do! It would be so much fun. We'd practically have Gryffindor tower to ourselves." Katy was going full steam ahead with the plan, not that either of their parents had agreed, but that was a minor insignificant detail.

"Yeah, just me, you, Potter and Black. What a party." Lily gave Katy a very sarcastic smile.

"Don't forget Remus and Peter!" Katy retuned brightly. Lily stuck her tongue out at Katy and then threw her pillow at her.

"Well, we should write to our parents right now then. Give them some time to think about it." Lily agreed that would be best, and the two girls got out parchment and began letters home. Mary looked a little jealous, but she didn't really seem to mind. She and Aimy went back downstairs to the common room.

"I can stay, Katy, I can stay!" Lily was quite happy, but Katy was happier. She had gotten her letter back as well and was dearly hoping she would not be alone for the Christmas holiday.

"Me too!" She ran up to Lily and they sat down to enjoy breakfast without a single worry.

Katy decided then and there that Hogwarts was the best place to be in the entire world, and anyone who got to go was super lucky! She loved everything about it, well almost everything. Most of the kids were going home for Christmas, which meant not only would they practically have Gryffindor tower to themselves, but they would almost have the whole castle to themselves.

The next two weeks went surprisingly quickly. Katy had been thinking they would be two of the slowest weeks of her life; time always went slowly when Katy was looking forward to something. She was only given a very small amount of homework that she finished on the first day, and so she and Lily had two weeks of freedom to look forward to.

It took a week of convincing, but on Christmas Eve Katy finally got Lily to agree to have a snowball fight with her, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. Afterward, Lily wanted to go to the library, and Katy decided to go with her, and then everyone wanted to go with them, so the six of them tramped up and sat down at a table. James immediately pulled out a parchment and Lily got up to go look for a book.

(Hi, so it's me, the author. ummmm so these are noes in the library and handwriting goes like this: _Katy, _James, **Sirius, **_Lily, _Peter, **_Remus_** sorry if they change. i have different fonts, but they don't work here.)

This is defiantly the most boring room in the school.

**_You did want to come here, James._** Katy was glad to see that Remus was no longer timid about saying anything the least bit rudish to James.

Do we have to stay in here? It's so quiet.

_Chill out Peter, it's okay in here._

_You do know that there isn't a rule against talking in here right?_ Lily had come back with here book, rather amused at them.

**Yes we know Evans, but we end up being too loud really fast and then we get kicked out, so we've just started writing notes in here.**

_Okay then…_

You really should hang out with us more often Evans.

_With you? Why?_

_I'm sensing some hostility here. Come on you two, it's Christmas. Lay off._

_**Amen.**_

**You are kind of annoying around Evans James**

**_You are kind of annoying around Evans, James._**

**Why are you repeating me?**

**_I was fixing your grammar, Sirius. You should try it sometime._**

**Nah, you seem to do it enough for the both of us.**

Can we please stop talking about grammar? It's giving me a headache.

Yeah, it's really annoying.

_Why do hang out with these guys, Remus? You are so much better than them._

**Gee thanks Evans. oh wait, "Gee thanks, Evans." Is that better, Remus?**

**_Much, thank you. And thank you, Lily._**

_You're awfully quiet, James? Hand fall off?_

Yes, that's why I'm sitting here not saying anything. Cause I can't find my hand and I'm desperately searching for it.

_Well aren't you precious._

Yup!

_Clever, Potter, really clever._

Why thank you Miss Lily.

_Don't call me that._

Why on earth not? The teaches call you Miss Evans, and Katy calls you Lily, so why not a mix of the two?

_Because I said so._

_That's a rubbish reason, Lily._

**Do we have homework over break?**

_Wow, change of subject. And yes, Sirius, we do. The essay for McGonagall. We all did ours the first night. Didn't you?_

**Duh.**

**_No he didn't._**

**Remus!!!!!**

**_What? You didn't._**

It was way easy mate.

Are we allowed to pass notes in the library? Madame Pince looks mad.

**Course we aren't. why do you think she hates us so much?**

_What do you mean we aren't allowed to do this?!?!?!!?_

_Calm down, Lily, it will be okay. Deeeeeeeeeeep breath._

_I do not want another detention!!!!_

And you won't get one if we all leave now.

The six first years all jumped up and left the library rather quickly. They amused themselves in the common room playing chess or exploading snap until dinner. Christmas Eve dinner was delicious. There was everything a Christmas Eve dinner should have. Prizes and games, and

rockets and the best food anyone had ever eaten. A couple of teachers Katy had never seen before were there, but she suspected they taught subjects that were not available to first years.

Katy always had hard time falling asleep on Christmas Eve. Everyone had agreed that they would all open their presents in the common room together.

"I told you James wasn't so bad. You two were almost civil today." Katy gave her friend an evil grin, but it was wiped off her face quick enough when she was hit with the pillow of said friend. "You really like pillow fights, don't you?"

"We'll it's hard to get hurt in a pillow fight. And I suppose Potter has the potential to have the potential to potentially be a somewhat nicish person." Katy raised her eyebrows.

"High praise." She burst out laughing. "Okay I have to go to sleep, that way it will be Christmas sooner." And she shut the hangings on her four poster bed and tried her hardest to get to sleep. She awoke quite suddenly, as she usually did on Christmas mornings.

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS, LILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Lily looked at her with an expression of great surprise.

"No I get to sleep in on Christmas." She grumbled and tried to turn over. Katy, however, was not having it.

"Not here you don't. come on, I bet all the boys are already up." She dragged Lily out of bed and down the stairs. Katy had been 75 right about the boys. Peter was the only one missing. "Happy Christmas!!!" Katy's greeting was echoed by the tree boys.

"Where's Peter?" Lily wanted to know.

"Oh," James glared at Remus. "he convinced Remus to put a charm on his bed so that we couldn't prank him awake. He wants to sleep."

"Please, oh please teach me that charm, Remus!" Lily begged, but was distracted when she saw the pile of presents for herself on the floor. Katy had given her two presents, although the diary was a joke. Katy had written on the first page that it was so she could rant about James to an inanimate object. She had also given her an assorted box of chocolate that she had ordered from Honeydukes. Katy would have much preferred if she had been allowed to go and get it, but it was okay even though it had to be ordered.

Busy with her own presents, Katy almost missed a look of complete sadness on Lily's face, and couldn't think why. Katy couldn't think of any reason for Lily to be sad on Christmas, but thought she shouldn't push it, so she didn't ask. She was a bit relieved that James had taken her advice and not gotten Lily a present because that could have made it an ugly day, and nobody wants to watch their best friend tear their other best friend limb from limb, especially on Christmas.

The rest of the holiday passed quickly and the rest of the school returned. Things went pretty much back to normal, James continued to earn Lily's scorn every time he opened his mouth, and Lily was spending more and more time away from Katy and with Snape, which did hurt Katy's

feelings, but she knew it had nothing to do with her. Lily was feeling guilty for not hanging out with Snape more during the first term.

"You do not want to go in there unprepared." Mary was standing in front of the door the Gryffindor common room.

"Why not?" Katy and Sirius had been in the library, he was supposed to be helping her with Transfiguration, but they had ended up chatting most of the time.

"What did James do now?" Sirius chuckled and looked questioningly at Mary.

"No, it's not him. It's some sixth years. There are like a million pairs of people in there making out. It's quite too much to handle when you aren't expecting it."

"Thanks, Mare." Katy smiled. "I think we'll be okay. Are you coming with us, or are you going to warn everyone who comes near?"

"I'll come." The three of them went in the common room, and Katy was a bit put out. She didn't have any problem with kissing, but this was a bit much. There were at least seven couples in the common room and there was nothing that would make Katy want to linger. She and Mary quickly went to the girls dorms and Sirius went up to the boys'. Katy told herself she would never do that, she had far to much pride.

(A/N Haha dream on Katy.)

Merci beaucoup for reading!

Unless you really don't like my writing (so then why are you on chapter nine?) you should also read my other fic, Gemma's Story. I think it is also very good, but I only have two chapter. They're long though. looks hopeful

Reviews make my days happy!!!!


	11. Chapter 10

Thank you thank you to my darling reviewers! You get a 50 galleon gift certificate at Honeydukes!!

And yes I am trying to come up with some more exciting things to have happen. Any ideas would be most appreciated.

Thank you for noticing all the editing errors I missed, I have just fixed those. :D

Also, I would dearly like some prank/rule book ideas!!

Oh, and I will be moving things along a lot faster, so that I can get to when the Marauders actually exist and have the map. Is there any official time they made it?? And are animagus'. toodles

Chapter 10  
_Lily_

Lily had thought that Severus was mad at her, so she decided to hang out with him a bunch more. She felt a bit bad for ditching Katy, but she knew that Katy wouldn't want to go hang out with her and Severus anyway. Lily desperately hoped that her two best friends would eventually like each other. She also privately wished that Katy would realize that James Potter was not the nice person she seemed to think, but Lily knew that was unlikely.

By the end of March, Lily was pleased with how well she had managed to limit the amount of time she spent around Potter and Black. Lily had managed to convince Severus not to be mad at her if they didn't spend as much time together as they used to because they could hang out all they wanted during the summer. Thus, Lily spent a good portion of her time with Katy and Mary. Aimy hung out with Remus a lot because the two of them could discuss books for hours at a time.

The homework level that was being given was gaining height in what Lily thought was rather alarming. She voiced this concern one night and it was readily agreed on.

"My brother says it gets worse as the years go on. He seems to think that as a fifth year you might have hours of homework a night."

"Please tell me he likes to tease you, Katy."

"Sometimes, but honestly Mary, I couldn't tell." Lily gulped. Hours of homework every night? When were they supposed to do that? Lily could tell that her two friends were thinking the same thing to themselves.

"Oh, Lily darling" Lily's face immediately felt flushed with anger. Lily darling? What was Black playing at now? "We're having a rendezvous down by the lake this afternoon and have decided, after a long discussion and debate, that you are invited."

"Well, gosh, I'm going to have run back to Gryffindor tower and cancel all my plans now." Lily smirked. "Why on earth would I want to hang out with you and Potter?"

"And Remus and Peter." Black gave her what he must have supposed was a very charming smile. It wasn't.

"I'm working on Transfiguration with Katy and Mary and Aimy this afternoon, terribly sorry though." Lily sincerely hoped the boy wasn't thick enough to think she meant it.

"Perfect!" Lily was dreading what he was going to say next. "We were going to work on Transfiguration too. We can all work together!"

"Oh, hurray!" Lily gave a very sarcastic thumbs up, but she didn't think Black noticed.

"Oi, Katy! Want to all work together? On McGonagall's homework?" Black shouted across the corridor where he had apparently seen Katy coming. Lily couldn't have guessed how, Katy wasn't exactly tall for her age, but she appeared out of the blue, looking excited, much to Lily's disappointment.

"Ooh, that would be fun!" Katy beamed at Black and Lily felt embarrassed for her. "You and James are really good at Transfiguration. I still don't understand why McGonagall doesn't love you two."

"Really?" That surprised Lily quite a lot. She had a very good idea of why McGonagall didn't love the Gryffindor pranksters.

"Oh, we're just far to charming for her." Black was really almost as arrogant as Potter, Lily thought with a frown. She decided she had had quite enough of Black, and turned to leave, muttering to herself.

"Don't know how you and Potter managed to get Remus to like you…" she stopped when she was behind some very tall fourth years because she realized she didn't know what Katy acted like around the boys when she wasn't around.

"Did you get that Charm we were working on yesterday?" Sirius was asking, he was now leaning against the corridor wall.

"Oh, yes, thanks so much for helping me." Katy was again beaming at him. Lily could not believe that she had become best friends with someone who was now talking and smiling with Sirius Black voluntarily. Lily giggled a bit to herself and the fourth years she was standing behind gave her a bit of a funny look, but then continued with their conversation and ignored her once more. Sirius Black, was, to Lily disgust, acting rather like the annoying muggle boy who lived next door to Lily. he thought he was God's gift to girls and had a new girlfriend every week. Lily hoped for Sirius' sake he wasn't like that boy because if he was, she was going to hex him into the next century. Well, she reasoned, she wouldn't have any incentive unless he dated one of her friends and then broke her heart. If he did however, well she did not feel she would be responsible for her actions.

Looking back over at Black and Katy she decided she didn't like spying on her friend. Besides, Black was continuing to lean against the wall in that way he did and Katy was giggling and smiling all over the place. It was not right, Lily decided.

"You like him, Katy. You do."

"I do not!" She was blushing so much, Lily might have thought she was terribly angry.

"You do, you're always giggling when he's around, and he knows it too, and he's playing on it."

"Just cause you don't like him, doesn't mean he's a terrible person. I just think he's funny."

"Right, okay."

"It's true!" Katy was actually starting to flare up. "I don't like him."

"Katy, I'm not accusing you, I'm just telling what I saw."

"Why were you spying on us anyway?"

"Why?" Lily found herself getting sort of angry too. If she could have she would have not gone down to the lake, but they were already on their way. "Was there something I might have seen that you're worried about?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katy's voice was dangerously low. Lily opened her mouth to reply, but shut it quickly because they had reached the big tree selected as the best place to do homework. It was just starting to get warm, and students were going outside often now.

When Black came, Katy turned pink again, seemed to realize what had happened, and glared at Lily. She then turned and walked away to where James and Remus were sitting. Lily felt immensely stupid. She wasn't going to ask Black for help, and the only one of the boys she would voluntarily talk to was talking to Katy. To her total relief, Mary and Aimy showed up at just that minute and sat down next to her. Lily saw Katy look up hopefully and noticed a quick, but badly hurt, look in her eyes. Lily felt a fleeting stab of triumph, but quickly tried to shut that away and began feeling guilty. She didn't see what she had done wrong though, she had only said what she thought was obvious. Lily had even been wondering if Katy wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to start the conversation.

She heard a loud giggle of laughter and looked up from her essay. Katy was laughing loudly with Potter and Remus, apparently at something Black had said. Katy noticed her watching and immediately started laughing harder, but Lily thought she could see a bit of pain in her eyes as she laughed. Seconds later she knew she must have imagined it, because she thought her friend was a better person that to take that pain out on Lily.

"Well, James, you're probably lucky she never pays any attention to you. I thought she was my friend but it turns out she likes to spy on me and then accuse of thoroughly unfounded things." Lily thought that Katy said this so loud, it was likely the people on the other side of the lake heard her. "I never do like it when my friends betray my trust." To Lily's absolute horror, Potter and Black both looked up at her, in a surprised way and must have known she heard because they looked at Katy with the same look.

"What did she do? If you're going to say that so that she can hear you, you must really be mad." _Thanks for the compassion, Potter. I can hear you too._ Lily thought bitterly.

"I told you, she accused me of something that isn't true and wouldn't listen when I told her it wasn't." Lily looked over to where Mary and Aimy had been sitting and didn't see them. She found them at least five feet from her and was at first a bit angry that they had abandoned her, but then realized she was the one who had moved, without even knowing it.

Lily realized, with a second feeling of triumph that afternoon that Katy wouldn't tell them what it was Lily accused her of, but that feeling didn't last long.

"You should just forget about her, really James, she's not worth anything."

That was a bit too much for Lily. She turned and ran back up to the castle tears pouring down her face, not caring that she had left a half-finished essay on the lawn, not caring where she was going. She found her feet taking her to the library. She knew Katy wouldn't come there, but immediately discontinued that thought in her mind. Lily did not want to even think about Katy. They had been friends, and one minute of disagreeing and Katy had deemed her not worth anything? Lily privately thought to herself that Katy must really like Black or she wouldn't have gotten as extremely mad as she was. Lily even felt herself being a little mad at Mary and Aimy for not following her, but maybe they hadn't heard what had been said. Perhaps it just sounded so loud because it hurt so much.

"What happened to you, Lily?" the one person she didn't have any qualms with had come.

"Katy. Katy happened. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her." Lily looked up at Severus and felt the tears rolling down her cheeks pick up speed again.

"What did she do?" Severus was suddenly tense; he stood up and looked wildly around. Lily was comforted by the thought that he was mad at her ex-friend as well.

"She's a mean, nasty…" Lily broke off, a fresh round of sobs taking over her ability to communicate.

Severus sat down next to her and for that Lily was grateful. She knew that he would never turn on her, say anything mean about her. If was going to take their friendship for granted, he already would have done so. Lily knew that his fellow Slytherins cannot have been too pleased he was friends with a muggleborn Gryffindor. He put his arm around her shoulder and she turned and sobbed onto his shoulder for what felt like years to her, but he didn't seem to mind.

You know you want to review me. cause i'm lovely and you must not think i suck if you have read my tenth chapter. sorry it took a bit to update. i will try to be faster next time. also, so i know that them fighting like that isn't very eleven years old but i was tired of happy happy happy and like one day for each chapter. my next chapter goes into april, so yeah...

toodle pip!


	12. Chapter 11

hi all!! (or whoever you are if you are anyone.) so i still don't own any of this.

Chapter 11  
_Katy_

Katy really didn't know why she was so mad. She just knew that she was furious with Lily because Lily had said Katy like Sirius. There was a very tiny voice in her head that said if it bothered her that much it must be that Lily was right, but she squashed it very quickly.

What she had said during the homework club had greatly bothered her. A few minutes after Lily had run off, Katy had followed. She checked in the Gryffindor common room, but no one said Lily had been there since she left with Katy to go outside. Katy next tried the library and had gotten in and was just about to walk out from behind the shelf she was behind and sit down next to Lily when Snape did. She silently cursed him and waited for him to leave. She heard him ask what was wrong and then it was her turn to be reduced to a tearful sobbing mess at the hands of her friend. Lily said she hated Katy three times and called her mean and nasty. Katy knew these were not the meanest things she could say, but each word Lily said seemed to open a small fountain in Katy's eyes.

She knew that Lily hadn't thought she was going to hear what she said, but with a small pang of guilt, knew that after what she herself had said; Lily probably wouldn't care if she did know that Katy had heard.

Katy watched as Snape seemed to itch to volunteer to personally illuminate Katy, but instead sat down and Lily turned and hugged him, crying into his shoulder.

Being only eleven years old, Katy did feel a bit guilty but staunchly felt that Lily had started it and Lily had to be the one to apologize first. One of the main the problems of this view was that Lily seemed to share it, only in reverse, which made it so that neither girl would speak to the other and they would not be in the same room as each other for more than a few minutes. Katy found herself hanging out with James, Sirius, Remus and Peter a lot because Lily hung out with Mary and Aimy.

Although Katy would never admit it to herself, she was lonely. She lacked the sort of friendship which you can only be given by someone of the same gender. James and Sirius were great, but they lacked the sort of compassion that Lily had always been so full of, expect when it came it to James, Katy smiled when she thought of how Lily had always reacted to James. The smile suddenly tuned into a glare, however, because Katy had realized in hanging out with James more often that she had been, just how hurt he had been to some of the things Lily had said to him. More, it was that she had been almost completely ignoring him since Christmas, but she had never liked him, since the first day on the Hogwarts Express. James had never said his feelings had been hurt, but Katy knew him well enough to see what Sirius could not. He hurt when Lily yelled, he was pained when Lily ignored him. Katy could not imagine why he liked her so much, but he did.

In the mornings, Lily would wake up earlier and get dressed and rush down to breakfast. Katy would wait until she heard Lily leave, check that it had indeed been Lily who left and get out of bed. She had started eating with James and Sirius, sitting on their other side, away from her former best friend.

"Miss Evans, would you mind handing these out for me?" Professor McGonagall gave Lily a box and sent her on her way. "Miss Cupit, you can hand out these." Katy suspected that McGonagall knew a lot more about the student's lives than she let on. She had surely noticed that the two of them were no longer speaking to each other. Katy frowned and began following Lily around the classroom handing out a small black marble to each student. When she got to a pair of Hufflepuff boys she decided they actually weren't marbles, because they had begun to squeak. Lily turned around and gave her an annoyed glare as if it was Katy's fault the marbles were making noise. Katy glared back and smiled when she saw she had won that little fight, because Lily turned back around and Katy heard her sniff.

James and Sirius loved the squeaking marbles. They kept their two and played with them during lunch. It turned out the marbles were actually quite playful. They would roll around quite a lot and squeak louder and louder as they rolled faster and faster. They had to give them back rather quickly because McGonagall saw them playing with them at the Gryffindor table and made them go return them.

Katy was spending more of her time outside, because it was April and while it was still very wet, the weather was warm enough that being outside was enjoyable. She worked on homework with the four boys by the lake almost every weekend, and during the weekdays if Lily was in the common room with Mary and Aimy, Katy would go into the boy's dormitory.

Katy had started seeing Aimy more than Mary because Aimy would hang out with Remus a lot, and therefore with Katy. It seemed Lily had not told Mary and Aimy what had happened because Aimy asked Katy a couple of times what she and Lily were fighting about. A few weeks into April, Katy decided that it must a least be possible for boys to feel normal emotions, even if James and Sirius couldn't, but she had never thought Remus was very much like either of them.

"You need to make up with Lily." He told her simply one afternoon while they were sitting on the lawn by the lake. "You miss her. I know you do."

"No I don't." Katy lied quickly. She had been caught off guard.

"Yes you do, otherwise you wouldn't always look up when you hear her. You always look up with this look, that just screams, please forgive me." Katy must have looked dumbfounded because Remus chuckled. "Not all guys are like James and Sirius, Katy." Katy grinned, and she knew Remus was right, but a part of her still felt like Lily had to apologize first.

"She doesn't like me anymore. She told Snape she hated me. And I hate her too." Katy felt tears coming to her eyes, and felt if she started crying it would really blow her story so she turned around and found herself face to face with Lily, who was looking about the same as Katy knew she must look; angry and sad at the same time. Not wanting to have to talk to anyone, Katy fled back to the castle running blinding, she felt like she was trying to hide from something, but she wasn't sure what.

Eventually, Katy ran out of breath and energy as found herself outside of the Great Hall. She ran in and collapsed at the deserted Gryffindor table and let herself cry. Eventually, she decided to go back to Gryffindor tower, she needed to get some more ink because she actually wanted to go 

back down to the grounds and finish her homework. She walked in the common room, and was relieved that Lily wasn't there. She went up the stairs and flung open the door, heard a shout of pain, and again, found herself face to face with Lily. This time, she had just slammed a door into Lily, who had apparently been sitting on the other side of it. Lily jumped up and glared at Katy with a look that made Katy want to shrivel up and die.

Lily moved around to her bed, still looking at Katy in that terrible way, and for some reason, that she could not explain, Katy burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lily's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing – it's just that…" Katy forced herself to stop laughing and took a deep breath. "This is so stupid!" and she was off again. She really had never realized how stupid it was before; but it was, it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard of. She laughed until she fell over, and at that point looked up at Lily who was regarding her with a look that seemed like Lily was unsure of her sanity. Katy smiled at Lily and at that point, finally, Lily smiled, and then burst out laughing with her. Quite soon, Lily sat down and the two girls just laughed, after a very long time, Mary and Aimy came in and stopped dead upon entering the door. The two people who had not spoken to each other for about a month, were now sitting on the ground next to them, laughing their heads off.

Mary blinked a couple of times, shut the door, and opened it again, as if she thought she had just imagined what she'd seen. She can in again with Aimy behind her, both looking hopeful and a little unsure. When they decided the girls weren't under some sort of Charm, they both sat on the floor next to Lily and Katy and the four of them had the first nice time together they had had in a very long time.

Sorry it was sort of short, but yeah. ummm, read and review? i think so!!

pip pip!


	13. Chapter 12

Me again, so I promise I will shut up soon ; ). Aaaaand…. Thank you so much to PrincessofNargles, Padfoot7Prongs, MissMarauder4487 and Gloobery Gloobery Gumdrops for reviewing me! You really made my day. Also this is the first time I have made up a spell, so bare with me. It required the tweaking of words from a translator so they sort of resemble words, the first word is Italianish or just direct usage of words from a translator, Spanish and Italian. :D

Anyways, enough with me, on with the story….

Chapter 12  
_Lily_

When Katy had said Lily wasn't worth anything, it had hurt, really hurt. Lily had run to the only sanctuary she knew; the library and found the only person who would not in any way take Katy's side: Severus Snape. Lily had never been gladder for someone to cry with, and spent a lot more of her time with him. While Severus had been her best friend since he told her she was a witch, Lily had started to consider Katy her best friend, and life without your best friend is no fun at all and Lily missed Katy constantly. She was seriously concerned for Katy when she started laughing, but she had also been angry; why was Katy laughing at her? But when she heard the reason, and thought about it for a few seconds, she also realized the stupidity of their fight and could not have been gladder to sit on the floor and laugh with her best friend. There really is no better feeling than laughing with your best friend and Lily was glad she now could enjoy it again.

As if to attempt to make up for lost time, the two of them spent almost every waking moment together. They went outside almost every afternoon after lessons and did their homework and Lily was pleased that since Katy had hung out with Potter so much while she had Katy had been fighting, Katy was just fine with not hanging out with them that much.

As April turned into May and the weather was getting more and more perfect, basically the entire school was spending as much time as they could outside on the grounds. Lily overheard Potter and Black discussing a need for a name for their little prank gang, but Lily so did not care and forgot almost immediately.

"Lily, when's your birthday?" Katy asked one day during Charms. (A/N: I don't know if there has been an official announcement about when any of the real characters birthdays are so I'm making them up. If there are real ones tell me and I will change it.)

"June 15th, why?"

"Cause I realized it hasn't happened, and I need to know when it is." Lily glances around to make sure Flitwick wasn't watching them. She knew they were allowed to talk, but Katy had just stopped doing her work.

"Well it's June 15th, when's yours?"

"May 22nd." Katy picked up her wand and poked the small black button on her desk that was remaining resolutely still. "Stupid thing won't go round. Filare Circumfela!" Katy said the spell quite loud, and caused a bit of shock from the people around, she ginned sheepishly and turned 

back to her now tottering in a semi-circular way. Black was the only person who had successfully managed to get his button to spin in circles on his desk.

"How are you doing this, Sirius?" Katy moved over near him and tried again.

"No, you're doing it wrong, you're waving your wand in the wrong direction." Black smirked at her, and Katy grinned back. She tried it the other way with quite the most enthusiasm Lily had ever seen, and this time her button jumped up and began spinning circles so quickly Lily felt a bit sick to the stomach. "Geez, calm down Katy." Black looked a bit surprised but also seemed to find it funny.

"Just having some fun." Katy grinned at him and turned back to Lily. "It's not that hard, we just got mixed up. You try it." Lily did, and was successful. Potter was not, Lily -1, Potter -0, Lily thought with a smile. Potter was going to break his wand pretty soon if he didn't stop slapping it against the desk. He was even more enthusiastic than Katy was and when he got his to work it jumped up and starting spinning midair doing all sorts of contorted pirouettes until it landed on his desk smoking a little.

"What on earth did you do to that poor button, Mr. Potter?" Flitwick had come over and he looked rather disapproving. "I need those buttons for the other classes."

"Sorry Professor, just got excited." Potter gave him an apologetic smile, then flashed a grin at Black.

"Yes I can see that, Mr. Potter." Professor Flitwick frowned and then turned to help some Hufflepuffs who were seriously lacking in Charms skills. Lily noticed that Potter had pocketed the button, and was about to call this to Flitwick's attention when she decided not to get Katy's friend in trouble. She and Katy had only made up a few weeks earlier and Lily didn't want to jeopardize this. She passed the rest of the class trying to decide what to get Katy for her birthday.

Lily borrowed a catalog from Remus that evening in the common room and began flipping through it. There were new brooms, potions that could do almost anything, indeed one boasted to be able to do anything, just tell it what you want and take a drink! Lily rolled her eyes at it and turned the page, she was not in the Zonko's section of the catalog. She smiled and laughed quiety to herself at some of the outrageous products; there was a chair you could buy that would write things on the back of the person who sat on it. The picture had a ridiculously dressed model who was pretending to look confused with the word "Kick me" me written on his back. Lily thought "kick me" was a bit unoriginal, but she didn't really care. There was an ad in the corner that caught Lily's attention because it was circled and said in what Lily thought was Potter's handwriting: "This is way cool!!" it was a piece of parchment that was charmed to make comments about what being written on it. The little blurb about it said if you gave it to a friend to write their essay on, it would make snarky remarks about everything they put. You could also trick people into thinking they were imagining things, because the comments went away after a few minutes. Lily wondered what Potter wanted with a piece of paper like that, but then she forgot to think because she found something for Katy. It was perfect; she immediately ripped an order form out of the back of the catalog and filled it out, put the money in a little pouch and ran to the owlry to mail it.

Lily could not wait until Katy's birthday. She would be turning twelve, and Lily knew she would get a good laugh and hours of fun out the present she bought her. On the night before Katy's birthday, Lily made sure she had the present wrapped and ready before she went to bed. the morning seemed to come quicker than Lily expected. It turned out it did, Katy had her alarm wake her up at 5:27, because that was the time she was born.

"Happy Birthday to me!!" She was jumping all over the place. "Wake up, wake up, I'm twelve!"

"You're still going to be twelve in two hours." Came Mary's muffled grumble from her bed, but Lily could hear in her voice that she was laughing.

"Come on!!" Katy seemed to give up on Mary because she ripped open the drapes around Lily's bed and pulled her out of it quite roughly. "Let's go open presents!" Lily had plenty of time to grab the present she bought for Katy because first Katy wanted to wake up Aimy, and then she had to wake up Mary again, who had gone back to sleep. After about ten minutes, Katy finally forced the other three girls into the common room.

"Okay Katy, are you satisfied?" Mary ginned through her sleepiness.

"No!" Katy positively shouted. "We need James! And Sirius and Remus and Peter!" and with that, Katy tore up the stairs to the boys dorms, coming back fifteen minutes later. Lily, Mary and Aimy had all fallen asleep again, but she woke them up and Lily found herself sitting across from four rather grumpy looking boys. "Oh, cheer up!" Katy was smiling at everyone.

"Umm, Katy? Are you going to be like this all day?" Remus was definitely looking apprehensive.

"Yup! Now what did you get me?"

"How polite…" Lily rolled her eyes. She was almost falling asleep sitting up, but she was excited for her gift, Lily had bought a second package for herself.

"Here, Kate." Potter tossed a square package toward her. Katy smiled and ripped it open. She pulled out a box, Lily found it similar to the sort of craft kits muggle children got for their birthdays. Katy read it aloud:

The Official Zonko's

Hidden Notes Kit!

Want to pass notes unnoticed? Tired of keeping an eye out for teacher?  
NOT ANYMORE!

Charm you note to look like the notes your teacher wants you to take. You can pass them and the teacher will think you are sharing the notes on the Blackboard.

"We just seem to get caught an awful lot." Potter grinned. "Open it!" Katy opened the box, her eyes dancing, inside was a small book with rip-outable parchment sheets. There was a small handbook including the theory on the spell and the incantation, _Encubrir Celare._

"This is way cool, James!" They spent five minutes looking at the pages and writing notes on them, telling the paper not to let a particular person see, but since they had not written any actual notes on it, it just went blank when said person looked at it. From the Peter and Remus, Katy got a box of Chocolate Cauldrons and a box of Bertie Bott's jellybeans and Sirius gave her a big box of chocolate from Honeydukes. Aimy gave Katy a book on magical creatures, however it was very much more interesting than textbooks, and it was passed around. Lily noticed Remus frowning at one particular part, but she didn't know what animal it was exactly. She could tell from the section of the book he was looking at that it was a dark creature, but other than that, had no idea. Mary gave her a book that caused a bit of protest from James and Sirius, it was called _Pranking Pranksters_ and was about getting back at someone you knew who had pranked you. Lily was definitely glad that Mary, Aimy and Potter didn't get Katy anything edible, as she thought it was already enough that Remus, Peter and Black did. Lily thought hers was cooler because it was new. Finally Katy managed to shove Potter out of the way, sit on the book and turn to Lily expectantly.

"Oh, sorry Katy, I forgot to get you a present." Lily smiled sadly at Katy, who didn't buy it for a second.

"I saw you grab a package of something before we came down." Katy grinned and Lily handed her the present. Katy ripped it open and looked up at Lily confused.

"Um, Lil, why did you buy me quills? I don't need anymore." Katy looked disappointed and Lily almost started laughing. She took a deep breath and then really did start laughing.

"Look at the label closely." Katy did so and then squeaked.

"Sugar quills? How do they work?"

"I don't really know. I'd never seen them before. But I guess the top half is made of sugar so you can suck on them in class and the teacher will never guess you're eating sweets." Lily smiled, she had been so excited about these, the ad said they were a brand new product and had just came out.

"Those are so cool! Where did you get them?" Potter asked.

"In Remus' magazine." Lily answered.

"How did we not see them?" Black said. "We will have to get some."

At this point, some of the other students began trickling into the common room. After looking at the group of them to see what was happening and then did their own things. Katy was rather giddy all day and it got her into trouble a few times. In Transfiguration, McGonagall got mad at her for disturbing class and whispering with Potter and Black too much. Lily asked after class and found out the three of them were attempting to figure out how to make the notebook work. 

In Charms, Katy got a talking-to about being over-excited with her work and somehow managing to turn her desk a very bright pink color.

_So yeah, bit of an abrupt ending... but yeah. sorry it took so long to update! I will be quicker next time. Life was a bitch to me for about a week, but it is all good again!_

_So to answer the question from _MissMarauder4487_ I would really like to do all seven, maybe even past that. I have some bits from later written, and I hope i ge to use them._

_Toodles for now!_

_Lily_


	14. Chapter 13

_So so so so sorry for the way long update time! Life bit me in the ass, but I will try to get more done sooner! Also, if I had known how long this chapter would have ended up I would have split it in half... again, i will really try to update sooner next time!_

_also... still not jkr and still don't own this._

Chapter 13  
_Katy_

"Come on, Katy. We have to study, exams are coming up!" Lily was trying to convince Katy to study for their end of year exams, again. Katy didn't really care. It's not like they were OWL's or NEWT's or anything important.

"Oh, alright. But just for a bit, okay?" Katy grinned at her friend and allowed herself to be steered over towards her school books. She leaned over and picked up the box of Bertie Bott's she had gotten for her birthday. There were not very many left. Between eight people, they went fast. Not to mention there was quite a few of them no one would eat. Katy poured a few out in her hand.

"What do you think this is?" Katy mused while she inspected a small green spotted one.

"Katy!" Lily was sounding a bit exasperated. "We have to study."

"Lily, Kate, what are you guys doing?" Mary and Aimy walked over and sat down. "Studying? No fun at all." Mary scowled, and then took a few jellybeans. "This is disgusting!" She spat out a black one with a bit of red in it.

"What is it?" Aimy looked at the half chewed black bean on the ground suspiciously.

"No idea. I thought I had had every kind there was, but I've never even seen one like it before."

"Here's another one. Lily, I dare you to try it." Lily looked at Katy and Katy knew she was trying to convey a _who are you kidding _sort of idea. "I will study for a while without complaining if you eat this."

"I doubt it." Lily ginned.

"I'll try!" Katy held the bean up in front of Lily. "Please!"

"Fine, but I'm going to spit it out at you." Katy shrugged, it would be worth it, it was so funny watching Lily eat Bertie Bott's because she had not had a whole lot of experience with them. "This is a regular flavor Mary. Muggles have candy like it."

"No way! That thing was sick." Mary giggled.

"It's black liquorish. (_A/N I hate black liquorish so I had to put it in. :D) _Lily rolled her eyes. She then took the bean out of her mouth and dug a tiny little hole in the ground and buried the bean in it. "I really don't like that kind. But it isn't a weird flavor."

"Muggles actually like that stuff?" Mary looked incredulous.

"Some do, some don't. My mum really loves it, but me and Tuney hate it." Lily looked sad immediately after saying that and Katy wasn't sure why. Then she remembered that Lily had said her sister was called Petunia and that the two of them had gotten in a big fight over Lily's coming to Hogwarts.

After they had finished studying, the four of them went back to Gryffindor tower to put away their books and then went back outside.

"Oh, no. Can we please go somewhere else? Katy? Please?" Lily pulled on Katy's sleeve and at first Katy couldn't tell why. Then she saw where Lily was looking, Sirius and James and Remus and Peter were all sitting under the tree they usually hung out under.

"Oh, I haven't seen them all day." Katy frowned, she really hated the fact that Lily hated James and Sirius.

"Well, if you don't mind, I think I'll go to the library."

"No that's fine." Katy smiled at the girls parted. They had worked out a kind of system. Sometimes Katy would hang out with Lily and Snape, but not very often, Katy made sure of that. And Lily would hang out with the Gryffindor boys more often because she like Remus and tolerated Peter, even though she had told Katy that she actually thought he needed to be a bit more sure of himself. Also, Mary and Aimy hung out with the boys more often too.

"Katy? What are you doing?" Someone tapped Katy's shoulder and she realized she had been standing still, she turned and saw Mary looking questioningly at her, so she smiled and she, Mary and Aimy went over to where the boys were.

"You lost Lily."

"You have a one track mind, James." Katy ginned.

"Where did Lily go?" He was not being diverted, Katy noticed.

"Off to the library. Why?" Katy looked questioningly at James.

"No reason." He mumbled turning red. Katy raised her eyebrows at James but decided not to pester him about Lily.

"You wouldn't want to go up there, she's probably studying." Katy grinned and turned her Bertie Bott's box upside down, but it was empty. "All gone? Lame." She frowned. "Anyone know a disappearing spell?"

"I heard one of the sixth years talking about a spell to make stuff go away." Remus offered. "But I don't think you could make it work. You haven't learned the theory yet."

"Well, might as well try." Katy said cheerfully, she knew it wouldn't work, but really, there was nothing else to do. "What was the incantation?"

"Ummm," Remus looked at her funny. _Sparire celacion. _But I don't think you'll get it."

"I know, but what else is there to do?" Katy shrugged and pointed her want at the empty box. "_Sparire celacion!_" She waved her wand a bit and nothing happened. "_Sparire celacion." _This time a little light came out of her wand, and for the next fifteen minutes Katy tried as hard as she could, but nothing would happen.

"Miss Cupit, what are you doing?" Katy was completely bewildered to hear a professor talking, but she supposed it would be unfair to expect the professors to never leave the castle building.

"Trying to make this box disappear, Professor." She looked up at Professor McGonagall who looked almost amused.

"How on earth did you learn that spell? You shouldn't until sixth year."

"Remus heard some sixth years practicing it and told me. I know I can't do it, I was just bored and I have this empty box, so I thought, why not?"

"I see, well if you would like to continue attempting as entertainment that is fine, but please be sure to throw it away." Professor McGonagall turned and walked away.

"Umm, did you just tell McGonagall you were trying to disappear something?" A very amused looking sixth or seventh year student walked over, Katy didn't know which grade she was in, but recognized her as a Gryffindor.

"Yup! I've got nothing to do, so I figured it was the best way to pass time. Plus I have this box and I don't want it anymore." Katy smiled up at the girl who seemed to be trying hard not to laugh.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" She grinned at Katy who shrugged back. "You sure, you'll be here forever if your goal is to be successful. It took me almost all of last year to get it." Katy thought for a bit, it would be nice to have the box out of the way, but on the other hand there was nothing to do.

"I think I'll keep at it, if you don't mind." She said to the girl, who looked perfectly happy with her decision.

"Okay, sure. If you want me to later, just shout. I'm Alyssa Larkin."

"Katy Cupit, and thanks." Katy regretted saying that the moment she did. Whenever anyone found out she was a Cupit, they asked a million questions. Alyssa Larkin proved no different.

"Are you really? I remember hearing your name at the Sorting Ceremony. Is it true that there are only three people in your family?"

"No! There are five. My dad and my brother _do_ exist. Even though no one seems to know." Katy added, a little bitterly. She was very tired of people acting like she didn't have a dad or an older brother. She knew her brother was tired of it too. He had joked that he was just going to be known as Katy Cupit's older brother once she got to school, but Katy could tell he had actually been kind of worried about it.

"Oh," Alyssa Larkin said, she seemed a bit surprised. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, my grandfather was good friends with Marianne Cupit, and I heard she died a few years ago, so I was just wondering…" She trailed off and Katy felt bad. Marianne Cupit was Katy's grandmother. She had died a few years ago and Katy had been quite upset.

"Sorry, I didn't know. Most people just…" Katy didn't know how to say it without sounding nasty. "…just don't really care. But Nana was doing really good until about a month before she died. She got sick. Who's your grandfather?"

"Jack Larkin. Did you ever meet him? He's still alive."

"No, I don't think I did. I only ever got to see my grandmother at the holidays. I don't remember hearing about him, but my grandmother was a kind of private person." Katy smiled at Alyssa Larkin.

"Oh, yeah, I think my grandpa has said that, he doesn't talk about her much. Anyways, I have to go, my friends." Alyssa nodded her head in the direction of some other seventh years. "Good luck with the box." She grinned and walked away.

Katy stared after her. This girl could know things about her grandmother. Katy had often wished her grandmother was less private; she had such fascinating stories to tell. That is, when she was in the mood to tell. Katy had heard the same story for five years. She couldn't remember much from before she was two years old and her grandmother had died when Katy was seven. Lucie had even less memories of their grandmother. She had been a bit scary sometimes. Marianne Cupit had seen everything. She had been tricked into her marriage, and as soon as she had her two daughters, her husband demanded they be given his last name. She tried to tell him that that was not the way it worked when a member of the Cupit family had children, but he wouldn't listen. He had threatened her and the two girls and she had eventually ran away. That was as far as the story was truthful when it was retold. Then it turned into a fairytale-like adventure in which each time Katy's aunt died in a different way. Katy didn't know how her aunt had died, but she was starting to not like the successful life rate of her family. She figured it was something terrible that happened to her aunt because otherwise people would tell her.

Katy was fascinated with her grandmother. She did, however, think that "Nana" was the wrong thing to call her. Nana seemed like such a familiar and intimate name, and she was nothing near intimate with her Nana. She had often confessed this to Lucie who didn't seem to care. Lucie loved her grandmother's story and either didn't notice or didn't care when it changed every time. Their parents would just laugh along and shout out absurd suggestions to the story like "Don't forget the part with the dragon!" or something like that. Katy knew she used to just giggle and scoot closer to her grandmother and look up at her in wonder when she heard there was a part with a dragon, but now she would rather know the truth. Particularly in regards to her aunt. She was brought out of her thoughts by a very sharp blow to the back of her head.

"Oi! Katy, are you deaf?" James was practically bellowing into her ear. He was about two inches away from her.

"Ah! James, what are you doing?" She shoved him and he lay on the grass, looking up at her, laughing.

"Well, I have been telling you something for the past five minutes and you have been completely unacceptive."

"Don't you mean un_re_ceptive?" Remus cut in.

"Whatever, unreceptive. Where are you? Neverland?" James joked. He had never stopped teasing her about her fascination with the muggle book that took place in a place called Neverland. Katy shoved him again, this time with her foot.

"What were you thinking about, Katy?" Mary asked. "You were totally off in your own world."

"Oh, sorry. My grandmother. There was something funny about her." Katy shrugged and went joined the conversation. Well, one of them. Sirius was telling Remus and Peter something to do with Flesh-eating Slugs and Katy was glad not to join in that conversation. Pretty soon, James started talking with them too and Katy, Mary and Aimy went back into the common room.

"How long until exams?" Mary's voice came from inside her bag. She was digging through it looking for pages of notes from earlier in the year.

"Um, I think they're next week." Aimy said. There was a loud thump and Mary was on the floor.

"Next week! I thought we still had at least three weeks." She pulled the bag off of her head and sat on the floor, looking very grumpy.

"Then we should study." Aimy didn't really need to study, she was just helpful to the others.

"You sound like Lily." Katy grinned. "That's all she thinks about."

"Anyone know where she is?" Mary quickly changed the subject from exams and studying.

"Probably in the library with Snape." Katy made a face. "How does she like him?"

"Cause he was the first magical person she knew." Aimy stated. "She told me that he was the one who told her she was a witch."

"I guess that sort of makes sense. I can't think what they talk about, they don't seem to have anything in common." Mary frowned and began trying to pick up her things without Aimy noticing. She was distracted, however, by Lily coming back to Gryffindor tower.

"Oh, are you guys studying?" Mary looked heartbroken when Lily asked this. "I've got to study some more too, what subject are you working on."

"We were just taking a br—" Mary started but she was cut off by Aimy.

"I think we should do Transfiguration."

"Me too!" Lily said and got out all her stuff. "Exams are going to be so hard!"

"You do know that you're only in your first year, right?" Katy asked. "These grades are not going to affect us at all. All we have to do is be able to pass." Lily looked appalled.

"Just pass! Katy we need to have good grades all through school if we want to get good jobs."

"I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up, so that isn't such a big issue for me." Katy smiled. "Come on, Lil. You know you need a break. You've been in the library all afternoon and now you want to study some more?"

"I guess you're right…" Lily said unsurely.

"Yes!" Mary laughed. "No studying!"

"You were the one who was freaking out a minute ago cause you thought we had three weeks. How did you think that by the way?" Aimy added. "We get out of school the week after exams."

"I don't know, I guess I was just a few weeks off all around." Mary sighed, and picked up her books. "I guess that means I actually have to study." She opened her Transfiguration book began humming to herself as she flipped through pages.

"That isn't going to work Mary. You actually have to read stuff." Aimy looked amused.

"Nah, reading is for amateurs." Mary grinned. "What does this mean?" She pointed at what appeared to be a random place on the page.

"Um that means you wave your wand in a circle way while you say the spell." Aimy leaned over and furrowed her brow in concentration.

"And yet they wrote: Revolve your wand in the circular fashion while saying the specified incantation." Mary raised her eyebrows. "What a waste of time." She snorted. "Aimy I'm going to need you to translate most of this for me."

Two hours later, Katy felt like her head was going to explode. Lily was more pleased than she had been in a while. The Gryffindor first year girls all walked to dinner and ran into the boys just outside the Great Hall.

"You guys study at all?" Lily asked, somewhat distastefully.

"Yeah!" James jumped in towards her. "We studied real hard at Transfiguration."

"James, you don't hardly need to study Transfiguration. You're really good at it." Katy raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, but only the practical stuff. I need to study the stuff on the written exam."

"So? You should be studying Potions, James." Katy said.

"Who wants to study Potions?" James made a face.

"I like Potions." Lily said dangerously. James became immediately uncomfortable.

"Oh… yeah, erm, it's… a very good subject." He was very uncomfortable and then suddenly changed tactics. "Some of us are just not a smart as you, Lily."

"Oh, how flattered I am." She said distastefully and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Katy sat next to her, with Remus and James on her other side. Mary, Aimy, Peter and Sirius had gone down the other side of the table and were now looking a bit confused.

"Is James being ridiculous again?" Sirius laughed.

"Just to Lily." Katy grinned at him.

"Who else would he be ridiculous to?" Sirius said in mock thought.

"Shut up." James frowned and looked at Lily who was looking disapproving.

"May I have your attention please?" The staring contest between Lily and James was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore. "As I am sure you are all studying hard, I hardly need remind you that end of year exams will be starting next week." Whispers broke out, mostly people telling their friends that they weren't ready, but there were a few people who seemed honestly panicked. The students all looked back up at the high table, but Professor Dumbledore had gone back to his dinner and so the students did the same.

The morning of the first exam, Lily was more nervous and jumpy than Katy had ever thought possible. She, Aimy and Remus were the only Gryffindor first years who were taking these exams very seriously and only one of the second years seemed to care. The third years cared because they were getting their first grades for their new classes and the fifth and seventh years were practically pulling their hair out they were concentrating so hard.

"Lil, if you aren't careful, you'll end up like them before we're even to our third year. Test scores only really matter fifth and seventh year anyway." Mary said and Lily looked at her like she was speaking gibberish.

"How can you say that?" She was quite shrill. "These are very important. And next year we are going to have to decide what classes we want to take for the rest of school! I'm never going to be able to chose!"

"Relax, Lily, just say you're going to take all the ones you don't want to, James will take them to be with you and at the last minute you can change." Aimy joked.

"He's really not that bad. Lily, just give him a chance to be human." Katy would not stop hoping that Lily would accept James as more than a bothersome presence in her life. But she wasn't very hopeful. Suddenly, or so Lily must have thought because she jumped about 10 feet, the proctor for the History of Magic test came in the corridor outside the Great Hall to call in the first years. Katy followed Lily into the room, glad she wasn't taking these tests as seriously as Lily, because Lily was shaking almost uncontrollably. Katy shot Lily what she hoped was an encouraging look and sat down at her desk. Katy found she couldn't remember when Binns had talked about any of the stuff on the test, but she knew most of it because of Aimy's notes.

Katy worked her way through her exam and after what felt like at least three years, she finally reached the last question, got up and gave her exam to the proctor and left the room. She found Lily outside looking almost more anxious than she had before the test.

"What on earth is the matter?" Katy wasn't sure she actually wanted to know.

"I keep thinking of things I know I did wrong." Lily was almost pulling her hair out with frustration. "But they won't let me go fix anything!"

"Lily, you probably got a 200, relax." Katy grinned. "Let's go outside and wait for the others, we have to take our defense practical after lunch. So don't get worked up over this. Besides, History of Magic is the most useless subject, it doesn't matter if you don't pass."

"Katy how can you say that? If we don't pass we have to take first year again!" She said, so loud that some fifth year students looked over and burst out laughing.

"First year exams are too easy to not pass. Don't even worry about tests till fifth year." One of them said, trying to suppress her laughter. Lily scowled at her and pulled Katy, rather roughly, out onto the lawns. After a few minutes they were joined by Aimy.

"Glad that's done, but it wasn't very hard." She said cheerfully. Katy liked Aimy's attitude toward exams much better than Lily's, but then Aimy was brilliant and confidant in her abilities and Lily was just quite good in school, but not so confidant.

"Yeah, I'm excited for the defense practical!" Katy said, she wasn't so excited actually but thought she'd keep the mood light.

"Maybe we should review?" Lily said.

"No!" Katy said so loudly Lily jumped. "We've reviewed enough, you'll do great!"

"That was the worst hour of my life!" Mary came over and flopped down on the grass. "Anyone have any idea what some witch called Penelope Rogers deserved recognition for?" She looked at them and Aimy's jaw dropped open and Lily got her appalled look back on. "What?" Mary seemed to know she had asked the wrong thing.

"She almost exposed the wizarding world! She and her husband got a divorce, which was scandalous enough when she was alive and he started spreading rumors that she was a witch and people believed him and the wizarding community was terribly angry and she had both muggles and wizards after her." Aimy rattled off and then grinned.

"Oh… oh well, I don't remember what I put." Mary giggled and then lay down on the grass.

"Wait, how does that almost expose our world? Muggles were constantly finding 'witches' in middle ages." Katy didn't think that would quite merit the chaos that seemed to have followed.

"I don't really know… maybe she like threatened to jinx him in public or something, pulled out her wand?" Lily offered.

"I do not want to take anymore exams! The practical's won't be so bad, but the written tests are no fun at all." Katy sighed wishing that hope could come true.

"Well we still have quite a few, so forget that." Aimy laughed and pulled out her bag.

"No, no studying!" Mary cringed at the sight of the bag.

"Just getting my wand, we might as well practice for Defense this afternoon."

"I suppose…" Mary sounded like she didn't agree with Aimy on that particular point.

They spent the rest of the morning practicing and then everybody went to the Great Hall for lunch, which, Katy was surprised to see, had been changed back into what it looked like for meals. After lunch Katy let Lily convince her to work on spells a bit more and watched Lily get more and more frantic as the test got closer. Katy found herself really, really hoping that Lily 

would loosen up a bit a few years down the road because she was way too nervous for a first year exam.

When Katy got outside after her Defense exam finished, she went to look for Aimy, but found Sirius instead.

"I heard some commotion in there just now," he grinned at her, "you blow anything up?"

"Oh ha, ha, and no I did not. That was Megan Crowley, I don't know how she did it… the table just… boom!" Katy giggled, remembering the look of blank shock on Megan's face when the table in front of her blew up into a thousand pieces with a large crashing sound. "The examiner was a bit startled though."

"I bet he was." Sirius smirked.

"Isn't blowing things up supposed to be hard? Like really advanced magic? Not until sixth or seventh year right? Cause it's dangerous so they don't want just anyone to do it."

"It's only hard when you're trying to do it, kids blow things up all the time. I heard that's how a lot of kids first show their magic… must really be a problem for muggleborns." Sirius said thoughtfully and Katy burst out laughing. "Do you know what it was for Lily?"

"No, never asked I guess." Katy shrugged. "What was it for you?"

"When I was six years old I tripped on something on the floor and I fell forward and I would have hit the wall, but I went in for a second and then bounced back out." Sirius said, he didn't seem to think it was too special.

"That's way cool! Did you parents celebrate it? Mine did and with both my siblings too."

"No, they said they knew I was a wizard because no child of theirs would be anything but. Well, my father shook my hand and said 'well done, Son' but that's it. My mother wasn't even home and barely showed any sign of recognition when I told her. She just said that she already knew I was a wizard and to make the Black family proud." He grinned. "I don't think I'm doing a very good job… What was it for you?"

"For me? Same as every other person in my family." Katy was surprised, she had never run into someone who didn't know how every Cupit girl first showed magic.

"Well, my family was never so keen on yours, so we didn't talk about you much. How do you show your magic?" He asked again.

"Sadness, something has to happen, and if you have a perfect life and have never felt anything other than happiness, I guess you must see something sad. I don't remember what made me sad, but you have to feel intense sadness. It's always in the summer too and it rains. A Cupit girl cries and the sky rains. Come on, Sirius, you must have heard of Cupit rain. That's what the wizarding world calls a summer rain storm. Cause there used to be a lot of Cupits so there was more summer rain due to Cupit girls, but the nickname is still around."

"Oh yeah I think I heard my mother muttering something about that… but like I said, we didn't talk about your family all that much."

"Yeah… I guess not." Katy grinned. "You seen Aimy around here somewhere?"

"Yeah… I think she went back to the common room." Sirius pointed off down the corridor in the direction of Gryffindor tower.

"I don't really want to go… she'd make me study." Katy giggled.

"Katy!" Lily came running out of the Great Hall and practically knocked over Sirius.

"Whoa, calm down." Katy smiled at her, "how was the test?"

"I did it! I really did it! And I think I did it all right!" Lily looked almost genuinely happy. Something she hadn't looked for about 3 weeks when her test anxiety started.

"Course you did, you're smart Lily." Lily beamed at Katy when she said that and Katy was pleased to see she had visibly relaxed. "oh, Lily, we," Katy gestured at her and Sirius, "were talking about when we first showed our magic. What was it for you?"

"The first time?" Lily screwed up her face in thought. "well, I guess it was the swing. But I didn't realize I could anything special for a bit."

"The swing?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I was swinging really, really high and then I accidentally let go and I didn't fall right away and I landed on my feet and I wasn't hurt at all. I thought it was loads of fun, so I used to show off for my mother and sister until my mum told me not to do it anymore." (_A/N: I am not trying to say that the time in deathly hallows was the first time, just that maybe it was how she got her magic)_

"That sounds like fun!" Katy had never flown, or done anything like flying as she was scared stiff of brooms.

The three of them continued to talk for a while as the rest of their friends trickled out of the test room. When James, as the last one to be called in for the test, came out they went outside. They spent the rest of the day relaxing on the lawn, chatting and having fun. Their last week of exams ended and no one was too worried about exam results. Katy, Mary and Aimy had managed to convince Lily to stop worrying and she had calmed down a bit. All of a sudden they were loading their trunks on the train and pulling away from Hogwarts for the summer.

"Can you believe the year is already over?" Katy mused as she watched the Hogsmeade station disappear behind a corner.

"I know!" Mary grinned. "I can't wait to start having days of no work though. What are you guys doing this summer?"

"My family always go to visit my grandparents during the summer." Aimy said. "But we'll be back near the end of the summer."

"I've got no plans, I think my parents are really sure what they are going to do with me anymore." Lily smiled.

"What about your sister?" Katy asked. But Lily just shrugged in a noncommittal way.

"We should all meet in Diagon Alley to buy things for next year! And maybe you guys can come over earlier!" Mary exclaimed, making Katy jump a little.

"Oh, that would be fun!" Katy grinned. "It will be nice to see my sister again, but really, she can be a bit overwhelming at times."

"You in, Lily?" Mary turned to look at Lily.

"I'd like to! I just have to talk to my parents first." Lily smiled at Mary and Katy. "What about Aimy?"

"Depends on when it is." Aimy said. "We're always gone for a bunch of the summer, but I might be able to see you guys for a bit. Definitely in Diagon Alley."

They all fell silent but were interrupted by two consecutive things. First the boys came running in laughing with their pockets crammed full of sweets. Barely had they made it in and sat down did the witch with the trolley come by. She had about half her trolley gone and looked somewhat exasperated. Even more so when she saw James, Sirius, Remus and Peter sitting innocently in the compartment with the girls.

"Would you ladies like anything off the trolley?" She said, pointedly not to the boys. Katy snorted and pulled out some money.

"I would like something too, please." James stood up, a handful of coins held tightly in his fist.

"I have to have some for the other children, dear." She said with a smile but her voice was strained.

"Just three more chocolate cauldrons! That's all I want!" James gave her his _I should not be in trouble_ look and it seemed to work on the trolley lady better than McGonagall because she relented and sold another third of her cart to the group of people in their compartement. After she left, the boys looked over their sweets happily.

"Going to share with us at all?" Katy grinned.

"You just bought your own!" James complained.

"Yes but between the four of you, you've bought half the cart! You'll be sick if you all of it." Katy smirked and James frowned.

Eventually Katy and Mary convinced the boys to share and the eight of them spent the rest of the journey happily eating sweets and joking. Lily wasn't too annoyed with James and James didn't act too annoying to Lily so everyone was happy. At the station they got out and were all crushed by their assorted mothers and shouted from inside piles of family members that they would owl each other and try to see each other over the summer.

_So I think i'm just going to do one chapter for the summer... so thinking about it, I may actaully have to take a bit of time for it, cause it will probably be long... i am going to go into the next year and i definately want to keep going... i've got little bits and scenes from later in their life that i really hope to get to._

_:D Lily_


	15. Chapter 14

_so taht was a slightly quicker update... okay i am not going to make the other years this long at all. and i got kind of tired of it all at the end of the chapter. as you shall soon see... haha_

_anyway, i don't really know what i am going to do for the next few years cause i just want to get them out of the way. so i am thinking of basically skipping, and maybe having them mention stuff that happened a lot so you can know some of what happened during second and third year._

_what do y'all think? :D i love that word!_

Chapter 14  
_Katy_

"Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy Katy!" Katy was just about ready to sit on her sister. Sometimes the lack of fresh air would get Lucie to shut up. Katy was glad to be home, and glad to see Lucie, but sometimes, enough was enough. Katy had been home for two whole weeks and the morning still started with Lucie shouting her name to the world millions of times.

"Lucie shut up! I'm right here!" Katy came down the stairs into the kitchen, scowling.

"That's a bad look to start the day, darling." Mrs. Cupit said. She was making breakfast and smiled at Katy.

"Lucie won't leave me alone, Mum!" Katy complained loudly, fully aware that Lucie, who was sitting less than a few feet away could hear her.

"Katy, we've all just missed you, and we're all excited to have you back." Katy frowned at her mother's use of "we" to mean "Lucie". Fortunately, Lucie didn't seem to have noticed. She just sat on her chair smiling at Katy.

"Guess what Katy?" She said, looking excited.

"You're going to Hogwarts next year." Katy recited in a bored voice and Lucie's face fell.

"How'd you know?"

"You've only told me like ten times." She huffed.

"Kate, cheer up. It's summer!" Jason pushed Katy's shoulder as he walked into the kitchen.

"When will your OWL results be coming, dear?" Mrs. Cupit asked her son.

"Dunno, sometime soon I guess. A few weeks." He shrugged. "They weren't too bad, I'm not worried."

"Good." Mrs. Cupit beamed at him. "What about you Katy? How were your exams?"

"Mum! First year exams don't even count. They were mostly easy." Katy rolled her eyes at her mother, who chuckled at her.

"I suppose they aren't the most important. But you do have to pass them to continue on."

"I know, Lily told me that every day." Katy said, grinning.

"Who's Lily? A friend?" Mrs. Cupit asked.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't know her family. She's muggleborn. Lily Evans." Katy said. "She was the one at the station who went with the grumpy looking older sister. Lily's got red hair."

"Oh, yes I remember her. She was cute." Mrs. Cupit smiled at Katy.

"Mum, we aren't three anymore. Cute is such a baby word!" Katy frowned.

"Katy will you please hang out with me today?" Lucie came running around the table, looking ready to get down on the floor and beg.

"I… alright." Katy knew it would get her mother points and she did like her sister.

"Goody!" Lucie grinned like mad and went back to her seat.

"Breakfast!" Mrs. Cupit called out the back door and Mr. Wood came tromping in.

"Good morning!" He said with a smile.

"Morning, Daddy!" Lucie said back. "Me and Kate's going to play today."

"Is that so? Good, good. Morning, Katy, Jason. And what delicacy have you managed to create this morning, dear." He turned one by one to look at each member of his family as he addressed them.

"Just some toast and jam, Amos, nothing special." Mrs. Cupit said, but she was smiling. "Help yourself, everyone."

That order was followed with a rush of hands coming from all five members of the Wood family. Jason managed to get his plate full before everyone else, followed closely by his father. Katy and Lucie took more time getting their food. Mrs. Cupit watched the whole scene with an amused smile then sat down in her usual chair and got herself some food.

"So, Jason." Mrs. Cupit began, "what sort of plans do you have for this summer? You're always off with friends these days." She said with a smile.

"Jack invited to me to go with him to France for a few weeks." Jason grinned. He knew not one word of French, but he was so comfortable with himself, he could get along anywhere.

"That sounds like fun, sweetheart. What about you, Katy?" Mrs. Cupit turned to her older daughter.

"Not too much, just plans to see my friends, but nothing set." Katy shrugged. "We all want to meet in Diagon Alley to buy our school things. But I'd like to see them before that."

"That can probably be arranged, dear." Mr. Wood smiled. "Oh, don't look like that, Luc, you'll be making new friends who you can see during the summer in two months."

"Two months is a long time!" Lucie said much louder than was necessary.

Mrs. Cupit was in the middle of consoling Lucie when there was a loud bang from the front of the house as the door was shut in a rather rough way.

"Hello?" Came James' voice from the front room.

"James!" Lucie cried. "You want to play with me and Katy today!"

"What?" James grinned as he walked into the kitchen. "Guess my mother was right, huh? She said you guys would still be eating breakfast." He laughed.

"Help yourself, Jimmy." Mr. Wood said.

"Dad!" Katy rolled her eyes. "You're probably the only person who has called James "Jimmy" in 100 years!"

"Nah, my grandparents still do." He smiled. "But I don't care, I really don't. It's okay Katy."

"There, see." Mr. Wood gave his daughter a triumphant look, and received an annoyed one back. He smiled at her and Katy sighed.

"Hey there, Luciecakes! I couldn't hear you very well earlier, what did you say?" Lucie turned red when James said "Luciecakes." Katy sighed. Lucie had only wanted that nickname when she heard James call Katy "Katycakes" and he hadn't called her that in at least a year, but somehow "Luciecakes" had stuck. Katy thought it didn't have quite the right ring to it, but oh well.

"Wanna play with us?" Lucie said, blushing even more. Katy rolled her eyes again; Lucie had had a crush on James for years.

"Sorry," He smiled. "I can't really do anything today either. Mum says I'm going with her to visit my aunt Sophie in London. I don't want to though… I just came to ask if you were going to be gone anytime soon. Cause Sirius and Peter are coming to visit in about a week."

"Nope, I don't have any plans. What about Remus?"

"I dunno, he just said he couldn't come." James shrugged. "He's going to meet us for a day at Diagon Alley in a while though. He sounded kinda bummed he couldn't come."

"I bet he was." Katy was about to say something more, her mother burst out laughing. "What?"

"It really must be summer…" Mrs. Cupit pointed out the kitchen window. A bright red envelope was flying up the road from the Potters house.

"I hate that she uses Howlers." James scowled.

"At least they don't actually yell." Katy offered. "They must just be the simplest way she can come up with." The little envelope fell on the kitchen table and James picked it up and opened it. While most people opened Howlers with a very cautious sort of air, James just ripped it open. Mrs. Potters voice came out of it, 100 times magnified, but no one looked at it warily, everyone knew what to expect.

"James, dear, would you please hurry home? We've got to be at Sophie's by 10 and there are still some things I'd like your help with before we leave. Anne, I'm so sorry if my son interrupted your breakfast. I told him he should just wait until after we got back from my sisters, but you know James. Katy and Jason, I hope you've had a wonderful beginning to your summer. I hope we see you around here soon. James, hurry home please." And the Howler erupted into flames and smoldered to nothingness on the table.

"I guess I should go." James grinned. "See you guys later." And he turned and ran down the road back to his house.

"My goodness, James has certainly gotten taller since last year." Mrs. Cupit said. "He must be more than a head taller than you, Kate."

"Yeah, he's pretty tall…" Katy sighed. She had hoped this wouldn't happen. Now that she knew that her mum and Mrs. Potter thought she and James were going to get married, she didn't like the way her mother was talking about James and comparing him to her. It was just, not right, the idea of her marrying James. He was just as much a brother to her as Jason was. Well, not biologically, but they had grown up together.

"James can't play with us?" Lucie asked.

"No, where have you been for the last few minutes. He just told us he's going to Aunt Sophie's house for the day. That's why he left." Katy groaned. Lucie was always kind of weird after she was with James. This was going to be a long day. "Besides, he's in love with Lily." she added with a grin.

"You've got friends over today, Katy." Mrs. Cupit shouted up the stairs. "A bunch of boys. I thought you made some girl friends at school?" There was a hint of exasperation in her mother's voice, so Katy decided the best would be to get downstairs quickly. She had no idea what James and Sirius might have done, and Peter could easily have caused an accidental problem.

"Coming!" She shouted. She pulled on some clothes, tied back her hair and ran downstairs. Sure enough, she was encountered with an odd scene. James was standing on the back of the couch attempting to reach something that was apparently on the ceiling. The only hitch was James seemed to have his eyes closed for some unknown reason. Sirius was sitting in a chair across the room shouting directions with James should be reaching. Peter was sitting on another chair, looking anxiously at a place about two feet to the right of where James was reaching. Mrs. Cupit was looking around the room, trying to decide which of the boys was worth kicking out first.

On closer inspection, Katy decided James and Sirius must have stolen Peter's wand and somehow managed to jinx it so that it was stuck to the ceiling.

"What are you guys doing?" Katy asked.

"Getting Pete's wand." Sirius relied as if it made perfect sense.

"Oh, of course. But why is James blindfolded?" That was the part Katy could not figure out.

"He lost the bet. So he has to wear it until 11." Sirius said. Katy didn't want to know what the bet was.

"It's 10:53." Katy said, looking at the big mantle clock on the fireplace.

"Seven minutes! Yes!" James shouted and in his excitement, lost his balance and fell off the couch. "Ouch." He said, from a pile on the floor.

"Honestly, boys, would you like me to get the wand now?" Mrs. Cupit looked desperate to get the wand down and the boys out of her house.

"Yeah, Mum, that would be great." Katy said before any of them had a chance to contradict it.

"_Accio_ wand." Mrs. Cupit held out her hand as the wand in question zoomed over toward her. She handed it back to Peter and smiled, rather intensely, at the four of them. "Now what are you planning on doing today? Going off somewhere?" She asked, almost hopefully.

"Don't worry, Mum. We won't stay here." Katy grinned.

"Well, have a nice day." Mrs. Cupit said and left the room.

"How much longer do I have, Katy?" Came James' voice from behind the blindfold which looked like it was made from Mrs. Potter's black scarf.

"A minute. Why did you guys use your mum's scarf? She's going to murder you." Katy laughed.

"First thing we found." James said simply, pulling it off his face.

"Right, cause that's a good plan to live by." Katy said, raising her eyebrows at the boys.

By the end of the day one entire room of the Potter's house had been changed color, although Sirius had no idea how he had managed it. Mrs. Potter, while fond of sickeningly bright neon green, was a bit miffed and changed the living room back to the off-white color it was before. After hearing about this incident, Mrs. Cupit point blank refused to let the three boys in her house. She said they could come back in about three years. Katy didn't really mind though, because whenever James was in her house, Lucie wanted to hang out with them and talk to them and be with them and follow them. To escape her sister, Katy had started meeting James, Sirius and Peter in between their houses and then they would decide what to do for the day. About a week after Sirius and Peter had to leave, Katy went to visit Lily. She regretted it some, because while being with Lily was great, her sister, Petunia, hated Katy on sight. She spent all her time glaring at Katy or giving Lily _looks_. Katy left after a week visit and she didn't get to see her other friends until they all met in Diagon Alley to buy their supplies for second year.

_and we meet again... hahha_

_so end of year 1! woo._

_is it chill if i skip some time??_


	16. Chapter 15

_so this is sort of a fake chapter, but i think it is necessary. also, along the way if you are confused about it i mention someone or something that you don't understand, please ask. cause i have all sorts of ideas in my head and i don't know what all i have written and what i have trashed, so tell me if i am jabbering on about something unrelated or you just don't understand something. or how a person is in someone's life, what their relationship is, that kind of thing._

Chapter 15

_IN BETWEEN_

So this is just going to be a bit of stuff to tell you all what has happened in second and third year which I am skipping because otherwise I would give up on this story as it would be way too long. And the characters will be more dynamic when they are older, so I wanted to get there sooner.

Alright, so…

**Voldemort**: The beginning of the first war is happening. People know the name Lord Voldemort and people fear it, but he is not in charge of everything. He has not taken over. It is rather like OotP. People are disappearing sometimes and no one really knows why. Death Eaters exist, but they are something like a nightmarish myth. Some people believe that Lord Voldemort is just a normal(ish) person who wants to scare everyone and that the Death Eaters don't exist, he just makes them up to scare people. The memory from HBP of Tom Riddle coming to ask for a job has happened. That is all I can think of for now, but check back here sometimes. If I stop adding anything here, then I will put something at the end of a chapter, or write something on here saying nothing new will be added.

**Katy**: Her and Lucie had a fight with their mother before school, because she didn't want them back at school. She was worried just like the other parents but also in particular because they are Cupits. Voldemort has not said anything about their family, but he seems the perfect candidate to hate them. Katy is now 14. She has a boyfriend, who is a fifth year Hufflepuff, Jack Abbott (A/N yes I am making up people who have the last names of kids in Harry's time, and sure we can say this is either Hannah's father or uncle. Probably father, as this character only has one sister.) They have been going out since April of Katy's third year, so about 5 or 6 months. Katy does not know about Remus and does not suspect what he is, she is just in a state of general concern for him and has maintained her idea that he is just a rather sickly person who has a chronic condition that can't be fixed very easily.

**Lily**: Lily has pretty much gotten over the fight she had with Petunia. The two girls are not exactly close, but they have agreed to be civil to each other. Lily knows that Petunia is just jealous, but she is careful not to talk about her school in a special way around her sister. She doesn't have friends over during the summer. She is still very good friends with Snape, and still loathes James and Sirius. She has some private (and correct) suspicions about Remus but has not voiced them and doesn't know for sure.

**General Marauder stuff**: They do call themselves that now. The Marauder's Map exists and the four of them all know about Remus being a werewolf. They have come up with the idea to become animagi but haven't succeeded yet.

**James**: James is still madly in love with Lily, but has not tried to ask her out yet. That won't come for a little while. Knows that Lucie likes him.

**Sirius**: He really likes Katy and really doesn't like Jack.

**Remus**: Still is wary about his friends knowing his secret. Mostly afraid they will let it slip, but he is flattered that they want to become animagi.

**Peter**: Still basically worships James and Sirius, has not at all changed sides yet. Still completely loyal to the anti Voldemort side.

**Lucie**: Has mostly given up on her crush on James, she held on all through first and half of second, but has now mostly accepted he likes Lily. She still likes him as her "Dreamy-I-wish-he-was-mine" crush.

**Mary**: Is going out with a Gryffindor boy one year ahead, Ben Fenwick.

**Aimy**: Like Lily, she knows about Remus, but not officially. She also still likes him, but understands why he won't have a girlfriend.

_so again, if anything is confusing, ask. it's going to be a few days definately before i get the first chapter of fourth year up._

_pip pip!_

_Lily_


	17. Chapter 16

_So I got this up quicker than I thought. I have started another story and I was working on it. I restarted it like five times, but now I like where it is. Anyway... enough of that and on to this story. :)_

Chapter 16  
_Katy_

Katy jumped down out of the horseless carriage she was riding in and looked up at the big Hogwarts castle. She had never been happier to be back at school. Her mother had tried to keep her and her sister, Lucie, from going back to school. She thought it would be unsafe with "Lord Voldemort" on the loose. Most people were scared of him, Katy was a bit afraid of the idea of being anywhere near him but she mostly thought he was a raving lunatic. That was one of the main things that made her mother want to keep her home. Her "lack of appreciation of a grave situation" as Mrs. Cupit put it. Katy also knew that her best friend, Lily, was much more afraid of Lord Voldemort than Katy. Katy just found she couldn't take him seriously. Lord Voldemort? Where did he get that name? She thought it was a bit pretentious.

"Katy!" Jack came running over and pulled her into a hug. "I got worried when you didn't write me back for two weeks." He scanned her face, looking for something tragically wrong.

"My mum wouldn't let me." Katy huffed. "She didn't even want me to come back this year." Jack looked alarmed. "So she took away my 'owl privileges' cause she didn't like my attitude." Katy said, giggling at how absurd it all was. Jack laughed with her and slipped his hand around hers, pulling her up to the castle. On her way up, Katy looked around for her friends, who were all wondering around up to the castle. She saw Mary walking up with her new boyfriend, Ben, and Aimy. A little ahead of those three were the four boys, Katy still thought it was funny they called themselves the Marauders, but that ingenious map they had created was definitely worth a stupid nickname. They didn't like that Katy and Aimy knew it existed and had sworn them to secrecy, but Katy had found it in James' trunk at the end of third year when she was looking for something else. After being insulted by it, she took it to them and demanded to know what it was. Remus and James were completely unbendable, but she had somehow always been able to get things out of Sirius after some persuading, and Peter was easy because he was afraid he wouldn't be liked. Katy did feel sorry for him, he was so nice, he just had no confidence.

Lily was walking with Snape a little behind Katy and Jack. Katy couldn't hear what they were talking about, but they both looked a bit angry. That meant either Snape was trying to convince Lily that she shouldn't be friends with any of the Gryffindors, accusing her of going out with James, or they had just encountered James. That always left both of them bitter.

As they entered the Great Hall, Jack briefly kissed Katy and went over to the Hufflepuff table. She grinned to herself, she was so glad to be back, and went to find her friends. She squeezed in between Lily and James, much to the delight of the former and consternation of the later.

"What are you doing, Kate?" James said, rather loudly to her. "I was going to talk to her tonight."

"You weren't planning on asking her out, were you?" Katy said, alarmed.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Katycakes." He smiled at her and it heightened her worry.

"That didn't help." She said, and was immediately nudged by Lily who was glaring and her and pointing up at the High Table where Professor McGonagall was standing with the new first years, severely looking over the student body. Apparently the sorting hat had already sung its song, and now it was time for the sorting itself.

The sorting began with the only person of any interest to Katy, "Abbott, Claire" was sorted into Hufflepuff. Katy didn't know any of the other people who were beginning Hogwarts that year. She heard five girls and four boys get sorted into Gryffindor but she didn't know any of them.

"So, Kate." Sirius said across the table to her. "You still with that Hufflepuff?" He seemed, Katy didn't know, almost mad.

"Yeah… why wouldn't I be? Jack is really sweet." Katy smiled at Sirius but he didn't smile back. "What's the matter, Sirius?"

"Nothing at all." He replied and turned to talk to Remus.

"Okay, that was weird." Katy said to Lily, who had been watching the exchange.

"Isn't it obvious why he hates Jack? Come on, Katy, you're always going on about how I probably secretly like James and how obvious that is. Can you really not tell that Sirius likes you?" Lily looked at Katy in a disbelieving sort of way.

"He does not." Katy snorted. That was absurd. Weren't they more like best friends? She was going to have to keep an eye on Sirius for a while. "and you so do like James. You just won't admit it to yourself." She said.

"Oh, great comeback." Lily smirked and went back to her food.

"Katy," James said, seriously. That was always bad, when James was serious. "did you mean that? That Lily likes me?"

"Oh… um, well it's just my way of teasing her… but yeah, I think she could. Or maybe in the future, she just won't admit it to herself. But if you tell anyone, especially her, that I said that I will hex you bad James." Katy said, frowning at him.

"Okay, okay, I won't." James smiled back and she had a feeling he would. He spent the rest of the evening being ridiculously happy and Katy was sorry she had caused it. Nothing could make him unhappy, even when Sirius hit him, rather hard, in the arm.

The next morning at breakfast, Katy noticed it did seem like Sirius was moodier when Jack was around. Not that he hung out at the Gryffindor table but when Katy said good morning, Sirius snorted and walked away without returning Jack's greeting.

"Sorry about him, he's just… being difficult." Katy said to Jack and then followed her friends over to the Gryffindor table.

Professor McGonagall was walking up the table handing out course schedules. Katy didn't look into hers too much; she had all the same classes as last year. DADA, Potions, Charms, 

Transfiguration, History of Magic, Herbology, Astronomy, Muggle Studies and Care of Magical Creatures.

Katy found herself wondering if Muggle Studies would be hard this year, because Sirius had really changed over the summer. He had always joked about Jack before, in the same way James did, but now it was different, it was like he meant it. Sirius had decided to take Muggle Studies to make his parents mad, and at the time he and Katy thought would be fun to have a class that was just the two of them hanging out. Lily obviously didn't need the class, James claimed he already had a muggle (or muggleborn) to study, this rather annoyed Lily, Aimy was taking about a million classes, so was Remus, Mary didn't know why she didn't take it. She said she regretted ever signing up for Divination. Peter said he didn't notice it on the list or he would have taken it so it was just Katy and Sirius.

Third year that was really fun, but now? Katy wasn't sure. She was about to find out what it would be like though, because Muggle Studies was her first class. She got up to go to class and her heart sank when Sirius didn't follow her. Katy didn't know what had gotten into Sirius and it took her a few minutes to realize she was standing in the middle of the Great Hall, completely still, staring at him. He looked up at her and gave her a much too cold look, glanced scathingly at Jack and went back to his conversation. Katy couldn't explain it, but she felt like she was going to cry. She was not going to start her fourth year at Hogwarts by bursting into tears in the middle of breakfast so she ran out of the Great Hall and found sat down in her usual seat. She opened her book and stared at it, with her face about an inch from the page, she had her hair draped over her face so that she could blink very, very fast and clear any tears from her eyes. She was not going to let Sirius see her cry.

People began coming in and everyone sat in the same places they always had. Professor Burbage had made the class very interactive, usually a lot of partner work so people sat with their friends so they could work with them. Sirius was almost always late to his classes and he was the last one in and Katy wondered if that was the only reason he sat in his regular seat next to her. He didn't grin at her like usual, he didn't even say anything.

What did I do Sirius?

Katy scribbled on a piece of paper and pushed it across the table to him.

Really?

He passes back and Katy felt tears forming in her eyes again.

Yes, really. I don't know what happened over the summer, cause you're acting weird now and I don't get it. But I guess it must have been something I did.

Okay then Katy

Sirius! What is the problem?

Nothing at all.

"Professor Burbage?" Katy said. "I'm not feeling very well. I think I need to go to the Hospital Wing."

"Are you sure, Miss Cupit? We've only been in class for about five minutes."

"Yes, Professor. Now come on, Sirius, I need you to accompany me so I don't fall down dead on my way." Katy grabbed his arm and before either Sirius or Professor Burbage could protest she dragged him out of the class.

"Alright, Sirius, now tell me what is up with you?" Katy said, and she realized how fierce she sounded after she said it.

"I told you there's –" Sirius stopped and apparently decided to change tactics. "What are you doing with Abbott?" He said, glaring at her.

"What are you talking about? I can go out with whoever I want!" Katy spat back. Her mind was racing. She had never fought with Sirius before and now they were yelling at each other in the middle of the school corridor.

"You're not supposed to be with him!" Sirius yelled.

"Oh really?" Katy dropped her voice. "And what makes you think you have any say in who I am with?"

"You half to date a Gryffindor" Sirius said, scowling.

"You sound like James with his little rules he tried to throw at Lily. So she wouldn't be friends with Snape. I thought you liked Hufflepuff. It's not like I'm dating a Slytherin." Katy almost screeched.

"I don't care!" Sirius yelled. "You don't notice anything; you just live in your own happy little world. You don't respond to my letters over the summer and you only like to act like a giggly little girl around that stupid boyfriend of yours."

"Stop, stop! I never got any letters from you this summer. Don't try to play that on me." Katy fumed and now tears were coming down her face and she didn't care. "I hate you, Sirius!" Katy turned and was stunned to see a few dozen people standing in the hall around them. She searched the crowd of people for any friends of hers and when she located Lily, she ran to her, and pulled her away with her.

Back in the dorm room, Katy fell onto her bed and cried. Lily just sat on the end of Katy's bed and let her cry. After about half an hour of bitter tears, Katy sat up and looked at Lily.

"What happened to us? Sirius was one of my best friends…" Katy frowned at Lily.

"He's jealous, Kate. You should see that now. He wouldn't care if Potter started going out with a Hufflepuff. He's like how James Potter is about me, only more subtle. I don't think even he knew that he liked you until you started liking someone who wasn't him."

"But why would he hate me for it?" Katy asked. "He's mad I like someone else. I ruined everything."

"No! Katy you didn't ruin anything. He did. Just because he is too immature to realize that if he ever wants a chance with you he should stay your friend, doesn't mean you've done anything wrong." Lily scolded.

"This is the worst first morning of Hogwarts I've ever heard of." Katy lay down on her bed again. "Why me?"

"Cause he loooooves you." Lily grinned, making Katy laugh for the first time that day.

"He's really bad at showing it then. I get how you feel, now."

"Must run in the 'Marauder' blood." Lily smirked. "Why do they call themselves that?"

"Cause they love to prank Snape." Katy said and Lily got her angry look on. "And other people too. But mostly cause they love to prank and cause mayhem." Katy grinned and then frowned "And most of it is directed toward Snape."

Lily made an angry noise and looked in a threatening way toward the door. Even though there was no way they would come up here, she still somehow seemed like she wanted to check.

"Lily?" Katy asked. "Will you tell Sirius I didn't mean it? That I hate him."

Lily looked at Katy for a very long time before she said "of course" and walked out of the room.

_So I know this is a short chapter, I had big plans and I wanted part of it to be from Katy's point of view and part from Lily's so I am cutting it off here, but I have most of the rest of it already written. So the next one will likely be short also and after that it will be back to a bit longer, although after all this rambling, I think it isn't all that much shorter than the other chapters so you can all disregard this. :P_

_Lily_


	18. Chapter 17

_Woo, okay, so first bit back from summer done! It will probably be a bit before I have the next chapter up, but I am planning on making them longer and convering more time in a shorter period, so that there is only four or five (or maybe less :D) chapters to a year._

Chapter 17  
_Lily_

Lily felt her heart break in two when Katy asked her to go tell Black she was sorry. Lily had known Black liked Katy for a long time, but somehow about half way through second year, Lily had dismissed the idea of Katy liking Black. But it came zooming back when she saw the pleading look in her friend's eyes. Lily didn't think that Katy knew how she felt. She sure seemed confused about everything.

As Lily closed the door behind her, she was trying to think of what she would say when she found Black. She didn't have time to think, however, because he was sitting on the bottom step of the staircase, she almost tripped on him. Lily opened her mouth to talk, but he cut her off.

"I want you to know that I'm sorry I hurt Katy." He said quickly. "But I don't want you to tell her. I just want you to know. Because she trusts you."

"Black, wait." Lily said. "She's sorry too. She wanted me to tell you she didn't mean what she said."

"Yes she did." He said sadly. Lily hadn't known he knew how to feel sad. "Or she would have told me herself." Lily didn't know how to respond to that and unfortunately Sirius seemed to take her silence as confirmation. "I knew it." He said and stalked off.

"Well that was a complete disaster." Potter said jovially, striding over to her.

"What do you want, Potter?" She growled.

"I want to get Sirius and Katy friends again. And maybe make them see they're madly in love with each other." Lily was surprised Potter thought the same way she did. She allowed herself to be impressed he had that much insight on things that did not involve his hair, Quidditch and her.

"And you want my help?" Lily said, disbelievingly.

"Yes, I do Lily Flower." Potter grinned at her and Lily looked back, disgusted.

"Why would I help you with anything, Potter?" She asked.

"Because Katy is your friend and you want her happy." He answered. Lily was again impressed. It seemed Potter did have a touch of human decency in him.

"I'll agree to help you on one condition." She said.

"Anything." He said at once.

"Never call me Lily Flower again." She said, rather harshly and he looked disappointed.

"Oh, I thought that was a good one." She felt pity for him. He was trying so hard and falling so short of the mark. "Now, did Sirius say anything other than 'Don't tell Katy I'm sorry'?"

"He wanted me to know cause Katy trusts me, but I'm not sure where that comes into play if I can't tell her." Lily said, hoping she wasn't forgetting anything.

"Eh, it means he's probably planning on shouting it at her sometime that he's always been sorry and he never meant any of it, but since he is a Black, he has way too much pride and so he won't be first to admit he was wrong. He's probably hoping she'll come crying to him and he'll tell her forgives her and never meant any of it either and he wants you there to say it's true and he told you that right after it happened but swore you to secrecy." Lily was surprised. She had not expected James Potter to be anything like how he seemed now. He really had more insight than she had ever given him credit for. And he seemed like he knew Sirius really well, so he _must_ think about more than his hair, Quidditch and Lily.

"Oh," Lily didn't know what to say. "So what do we do, then?"

"You're supposed to be the smart one, dearie!" James said. Lily wasn't sure what made her decide to ignore "dearie" but she did.

"So I have to come up with the plan, then?" She gave him a look that plainly said _you've got to be kidding me_.

Potter just smiled a dopey grin at her.

"Alright, then. If you're going to be no help at all, I guess I can come up with something. It's not much, but" Lily stopped, why was she apologizing to Potter? "All we can really do, is try to make them remember how much they enjoyed being friends. Make them see how much the other one misses them. And how much they miss the other."

"You're a bloody genius, Evans." Potter grinned at her. "But I could have come up with that myself."

"So you're just going to give me the credit?" She raised her eyebrows. "How sweet of you."

"I thought you might think so." He smirked.

"Now, off you go." She smirked back. "Make Black miss Katy. Or at least make him willing to admit it to Katy. In person." She added and pushed him over toward where Black was sitting with Remus and Peter. Lily felt herself tense up when she saw Remus and immediately hated that she did. She didn't even know for sure and if it was true than it wasn't his fault.

Potter walked over and from the look on Black's face, Potter hadn't brought up any of what they had just been talking about.

Lily went back upstairs. Katy was still laying in her bed, however this time she was quite determinedly not crying. Her face was set and she was staring blankly into space and didn't look at Lily when she opened the door.

"Kate…" Lily began, but was cut off.

"Don't tell me you've just been downstairs and Sirius is crying his eyes out in the middle of the common room. I'll bet If I went down there right now, he'd be sitting in the corner with the other 

three laughing about something, or planning whatever it is they are always attempting to do these days." That surprised Lily, she thought they always had new plans, not one long going plan.

"They've got a big plan? Please tell me it doesn't involve Severus?" Lily asked and then slapped herself mentally. That was not important.

"They're trying to be able to do something, to help Remus. That's all I know. I don't know why they want to help Remus, it seems like he's usually the one who helps them."

"What makes them think they can help him?" Lily had her ideas about what problem Remus might have, but she had no idea how on earth they were going to help him. She thought about voicing her opinion on Remus and what his "problem" was, but she didn't think now was the time. Also, she didn't think Katy shared her opinion and right now Katy did not need someone who disagreed with her on anything more.

"I have no idea. James just told me he really needed help. I asked him with what and James got all red and started mumbling incoherent things and refused to tell me what was wrong with Remus. And I still can't see anything new that's wrong with him. Maybe they're trying to help him stop getting sick. He's always looking sick." Katy frowned. Lily changed her mind and decided that the change of topic had been a good thing. But what Katy had just said had made Lily sure that Katy didn't suspect anything of Remus.

"Lily?" Katy said in a voice that made Lily certain they were back on the topic of Sirius. "Why doesn't he like me anymore?"

"He does, Katy, he likes you a lot. He's jealous." Lily said, sitting down next to Katy on the bed. "And I'm sure he misses you."

"No he doesn't. Otherwise he'd come and try to talk to me. I know him and if he cared, he'd apologize. And I'm not going to go crying to him begging him to forgive me." Katy glared into the room in general.

"Good. Don't beg; that'd be beneath you, Katy." Lily said firmly.

"I don't care; I want to be his friend again!" Katy wailed and Lily had the idea she had forgotten it was her idea in the first place not to beg for forgiveness, but Lily just went with it.

"It's up to you, I guess…" Lily frowned. This was not where she had been hoping Katy would decide to go.

"I don't know what to do!" Katy frowned at her pillow.

About half an hour later, Katy had fallen asleep. Lily looked up at the clock and with a jolt remembered this was actually a school day. She had completely forgotten she was supposed to be in class. She was on her way out of the common room when she ran into Potter.

"So did you talk to Katy?" He asked before she could open her mouth.

"Yes. She doesn't think he cares about her because he won't talk to her in person." Lily sighed. "Pretty much the same as Sirius when I talked to him. Did you talk to him at all?"

"Yes." Potter said defensively. "I told him he should let it go and talk to her."

"That's not talking to him!" Lily was mentally banging her head against a wall. "Ugh, I need to go to class." And she stalked out of the common room.

_You know you want to review!_

_Lily_


	19. Chapter 18

_So while I was correct is saying that I would make future chapters longer, I was wrong about it covering more time. This one is pretty much all one afternoon, but I think I needed this._

Chapter 18  
_Katy_

Katy knew that she should be in class, but she didn't care. She lay in her bed for the rest of the day attempting to convince herself that her fight with Sirius had been a bad dream. When she gave up on that small hope she started trying to convince herself that she didn't care and she didn't need him. She woke up the next morning determined not to let Sirius get under her skin.

"Morning, all!" She said in a bright voice that was not hers when she woke up. This plan was going to be harder than she thought. Mary looked at her like she was insane. "What?" Came the weird voice again.

"Why do you sound like an overly excited mouse?" Mary asked as if fearful for Katy's health.

"I do not!" There was the mouse again. Katy cursed inwardly. She coughed. "My voice is just fine." She said, forcing her voice lower but ending up sounding like a middle aged man with a head cold.

"Okay then…" Mary grinned at her and went downstairs. Katy followed her and found her talking with James and Sirius. She took a deep breath and walked over to them.

"Hi guys, how are you this morning? I'm doing great! Are you too? Good, good. Yup, nothing wrong in my life this morning. All my friends are great! Just great! Boy I just love being back at school. It is really is a nice place, don't you agree? Yes I thought you would." Katy broke off because she realized two things. She was back to sounding like an "overly excited mouse" as Mary put it and all three of them were looking at her like she was running around the common room naked. She giggled an obnoxious, nervous giggle.

"Wow…" James was staring at her, dumbfounded. Sirius was staring at her with a look Katy couldn't read.

"Katy!" Mary said. "I think we should go get some breakfast." And she forcibly pushed Katy through the portrait hole and into the Great Hall. Katy glanced behind her as she was being shoved into the Great Hall and saw that James and Sirius had followed them.

"Katy, are you feeling better?" Jack came over to her looking worried. "I heard you were really upset yesterday and then you weren't at lunch or dinner and I was really worried about you."

"I'm great!" She said, her mouse voice was still there. And, knowing that Sirius was still watching, Katy kissed Jack longer and deeper than she ever had before and he kissed her back and then pulled back all of a sudden.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay? You sound funny and that…" he trailed off.

"Didn't I just say I was great?" Katy was surprised at how mad her voice sounded. "Don't you believe me? Don't you trust me? Aren't you my friend? Why won't you listen to me? I thought you cared!" Tears were flowing freely down Katy's face and Jack was looking utterly bewildered.

"Don't take it personally, that wasn't meant for you." Mary said and quickly steered Katy to the Gryffindor table.

"Wait, but Katy, what happened?" Jack clearly hadn't been told any more than "something happened."

"I'll fill you in later, Jack." Mary called over to him. "Katy." She was suddenly much quieter, sweeter sounding. "Are you going to want any breakfast?" Katy looked up, through her tears and shook her head. She was the least hungry she had ever been. "You need to eat, Kate." Mary said.

Lily and Aimy came over at moment and even Katy could see that it took them a few minutes to register what was going on. James and Sirius were still standing by the door of the Great Hall with frozen shock on their faces; Jack was standing at the Hufflepuff table looking anxiously over at Katy who was staring at her empty plate while Mary tried to convince her to put something on it.

By the time Katy got into her Transfiguration class, she had given herself more than one mental lecture. She told herself she was not going to cry again and not going to have another blow up in front of the entire student body. She sat next to Lily taking notes with such vigor that she ripped the piece of parchment she was writing on. Professor McGonagall kept looking over at her and frowning at her few little scraps of parchment that were left on her desk. Lily was shooting her, somewhat scared, looks throughout the period. Katy realized with a jolt of happiness she didn't have Muggle Studies that day and so would not have to deal with being face to face with only Sirius until the next day.

In the common room that night Katy sat with Lily, Mary and Aimy on their regular spot on the couches and big chairs and part of her was sad and part was happy when Sirius directed the boys to a different part of the common room.

Katy knew that Lily and Mary and Aimy were carefully steering the conversation away from anything that could relate to Sirius and she was grateful for that. She went to sleep that morning determined to feel different tomorrow. She did, but only half way how she wanted. She wasn't sad when she woke up, but it took her a minute to remember why she felt really bad. Then she realized the hollow pit in her stomach was because of Sirius.

She was almost living in a dream. Somehow she had managed to get rid of the raw pain, but she had also managed to get rid of all feeling. (_A/N I am not trying to say she accidently put a charm on herself so that she has no feelings._) The morning went by in a blurof nothingness and Katy's shell of safety was cracked a little when she went into Muggle Studies because she had to sit next to Sirius.

From the moment she walked into the classroom, Katy was determined not to get upset. She didn't look Sirius in the eye as she sat down but she could tell he had glanced over at her.

"You're feeling better, I trust, Miss Cupit." Professor Burbage asked when she saw Katy.

"Yes I am, Professor." She said in a strangely calm voice that, like the mouse voice, was not hers, but at least this one was passable.

"Very good. I expect Mr. Black told you what we went over yesterday, but it wasn't much anyhow. Now this year, we are going to be mainly discussing the thing that makes muggle life possible. Electricity. How many people know how electricity works?" No one raised their hand. "Okay, has anyone even heard of electricity?" Katy raised her hand this time and so did much of the class

"Good. What have you heard? Miss Cupit, let's start with you since you were gone yesterday." Professor Burbage said, looking expectantly at Katy.

"Oh… well it makes stuff work, doesn't it? Muggles use it to communicate with each other. And it doesn't work near large areas of magic like Hogwarts." Katy said and for some reason she could not understand, gave Sirius a very triumphant look, feeling like she knew more than him and was better than him. She felt guilty for a bit, but then the part of her that felt triumphant decided that Sirius made her unhappy and she was quite happy to make _him_ unhappy.

"Very good, that is all correct." Professor Burbage said, smiling at Katy. "Does anyone have anything to add?"

"I do!" Said Sirius. "Electricity does lots more than just that. It does almost everything muggles do. And a lot of what we do with magic, muggles use electricity for. Like, it cools and heats food. And cools and heats pretty much everything else. And it is used for entertainment. Muggles use electricity for stuff like advertisements, that's how they make them move around." Sirius shot Katy an i-know-more-than-you look followed by a look that was clearly a challenge. Katy felt her little bubble burst.

"Why would you know anything about muggles? Everyone knows Blacks hate them." She smirked.

"But that doesn't mean they don't know anything about them." He glared at her.

"Trying to get all the information you can so you know how to bring them down? Great reason to take this class." Katy glared back.

"Well why are you taking it? Think it's an easy O class?" Sirius asked. Katy more than welcomed Professor Burbage's interruption at that point. She would never in a million years admit that part of her took the class because she knew Sirius was in it.

"Excuse me, Mr. Black, Miss Cupit, what in Merlin's name is going on with you two?" Burbage looked from one of them to the other, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Sirius is jealous of me and he won't admit it, cause he's a stupid Black full or stupid Black pride." Katy spat.

"Katy's a traitor and a liar!" Sirius countered.

"Those are pretty harsh accusations, don't you think?" Burbage asked them.

"No, it's the truth!" Katy almost yelled. "And sometimes the truth hurts, Sirius but you have to stop acting like you're still a baby and accept that maybe I don't like you back!"

There was silence following that pronouncement. The class, Katy noticed, was looking eagerly back and forth between her and Sirius, anxiously anticipating his response to that. Professor Burbage was shaking her head and looking like she wished she was anywhere but in that class.

"You don't like me back?" Sirius seemed to have regained his ability to yell. "What makes you think I like you in the first place?"

"James said so!" Katy knew it was bad to drag James into all this, and she also knew that he hadn't technically said that, he'd just hinted at it. "And Lily did too!" She added, knowing that one was fully true.

"Is that so?" Sirius looked like he didn't know what to say to that. Katy smirked at him, she knew she had won. Her moment of glory was quickly sucked away when Sirius threw her a look of pure loathing. "I never want to speak to you again, Cupit." Katy would have been able to look past what he said if he hadn't have called her Cupit. For some reason, that hurt her more than anything else he had said or done.

"Right back at you, Black." She growled. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and she could tell he had been affected by being called Black just as much as she had been. He seemed shaken up all for the rest of class, of which Katy heard nothing. She didn't even realize that it was over, she was too busy trying to watch Sirius without him noticing. She only snapped out of it when Professor Burbage came over to their table.

"I don't know what happened to you two, but I want it to stay out of my classroom." She said firmly. "And I get the idea neither of you were paying much attention to the rest of the class after your little shouting match, so I'll help you by telling you the assignment again. 8 inches of parchment on your favorite use of electricity due in a week." She softened all of a sudden. "And do try to work it out, you two used to be such fun in this class." She smiled and pointed at the door. Katy grabbed her stuff and sprinted out of the room, followed closely by Sirius.

"Well done, Cupit, now you made me miss two Muggle Studies classes in a row." Sirius fell into step next to her.

"It's really not my fault you didn't listen to Burbage today, Black." Katy huffed.

"Yes it is. You're the one who started shouting." He said.

"Well then you shouldn't have risen to my bait." Katy smiled at him. "Oh well, guess it isn't all my fault then."

"Well it was on Monday. When you dragged me out of class like that."

"Just for a little friendly discussion. You could've gone back to class you know."

"Friendly discussion?" Sirius said incredulously. "I haven't met anything less friendly than you in my life. And that includes my mother!" Katy felt herself start to laugh and quickly turned it into a cough. As she was coughing loudly she realized she and Sirius were walking aimlessly through Hogwarts and students were parting for them and then following them, listening happily.

"Will you lot bloody clear out?!" Katy roared at them and most of them did scatter.

"You know you really shouldn't yell at the students." Sirius said in a very condescending tone.

"Gee thanks for the maturity lesson. You're really the person who should be teaching those." Katy decided to give him some credit and assume that he noted the sarcasm in her voice.

"Well I'm glad you and I can agree on something." He glared at her and stormed off.

Katy looked at the few people still watching who all immediately struck up highly animated discussions about subjects as interesting as the weather and what sort of homework they had gotten.

"Ha ha, very convincing." Katy scowled at them and went off in the same direction as Sirius. She hated herself for following him, but really, it was the quickest way to the Great Hall and she was hungry.

As soon as she walked into the Great Hall, Jack came up to her.

"Katy please tell me what happened on Monday and what you were shouting about yesterday at breakfast." He almost begged her.

"It's nothing. Black and I just had a fight." She glared over at where Sirius was eating.

"Kate, I know it was more than nothing if you're calling Sirius, 'Black'." He put his arm around her. "Please tell me if I can help you in any way. I hate to see you so sad."

"Thanks." She smiled and kissed him. He kissed her back and she only stopped kissing him when she heard a loud noise of disgust. Katy knew where it was coming from without looking behind her.

"Stay out of my life, Black." She said.

"Well then keep your life out of everybody's lunch time." He said.

"I'm not going to do this right now." She hissed at him and sat down next to Lily who was staring open mouthed at her. "What?"

"You just said Black." Lily gaped.

"Yes I know." Katy frowned at Lily.

"You called Sirius Black, one of your best friends, Black. It's supposed to be _me_ who calls him that!" Lily frowned back.

"Well, now we can call him Black together. And he is not one of my best friends." Katy added after a few seconds.

"Okay… if you want to say that it is just fine." Lily grinned at her, but it was a very strained grin. "Now, I've got to go, I told Sev I'd meet him in the library at lunch today." Lily smiled a real smile and then got up and left the Great Hall. Katy was surprised, but not upset, when Remus sat down in her place.

"If you don't mind my asking, what exactly is this thing between you and Sirius?" He asked, almost leaning away from her like he was afraid she was going to attack him. It rather amused her that he was scared of her.

"I don't bite." She said giggling and his small amount of fear was replaced by a look of sheer terror. "What?" Katy was confused and now a bit scared too.

"Nothing." He said much too quickly, but Katy decided to let it slide. She did however store in her mind because she thought this fear of whatever it was might be the thing Remus needed help with. Irrational fears of harmless sayings could hardly be a good thing to have to cope with. "So what happened with you two?" Remus was not very subtle in his abrupt subject change.

"I don't really know…" Katy thought hard and honestly couldn't come up with much. "It's just that Sirius had never been mean to Jack before and never mean to me about Jack before. And Lily says it's because he likes me and so is jealous of Jack, but I think if he liked me he wouldn't yell at me every chance he gets."

"Yeah… I think that about sums it up. Completely different form how Sirius describes it, but looking at the two explanations I can definitely see how it all happened."

"What does Sirius say happened?" Katy was curious.

"Rubbish. That you're a traitor to Gryffindor and that sort of nonsense." Remus frowned when he said it and the angry, competitive part of Katy gave herself one more point above Sirius because Remus liked her explanation better.

"That's what he yelled at me earlier today too. He also said I'm a liar… do you know what that's about?" Katy asked.

"He's still hung up that you didn't respond to any of his letters this summer." Remus frowned again. "But don't take it personally. He's been snippy to everyone these days."

"I told him! My mum wouldn't let me send any letters!"

"Not true!" Sirius had apparently heard the last bit of the conversation. "You told me you never got any letters from me. So I was clearly correct, you did lie to me." He glared at her, by the end of the day she thought she would probably have received more glares from him that she had ever gotten in the last three years that they had been friends. Katy didn't know what to do or say. Of all the things she wanted to accuse him of and yell at him, she wasn't going to make things up and she knew he didn't make things up either. Sirius didn't lie about things, well he didn't lie 

about things that were not to get himself out of trouble. Katy realized her mouth was just open and she was looking at him and apparently looked trapped because he continued. "I knew you'd admit you lied to me sometime, Cupit." And he turned and walked out of the Great Hall followed by Peter immediately and James shot Katy an apologetic look and went after Sirius.

"You can go too, Remus." Katy said dully. "I'll be fine." He smiled sadly at her and got up and left.

_The next one will take place a few weeks later and no it will not start with "gee isn't it great sirius and katy made up?" it will take a little while for that to happen, but i'm planning on it happening before Christmas, but who knows what will happen._

_Lily_


	20. Chapter 19

_Wow... I've never written an entire chapter in one day before... it felt good. So I'm about to go start the next chapter and I know that mostly I'm focussing on one day but this time I did use up some time in the school year, and I was wrong before, it will be either during Christmas or after that Sirius and Katy make up. I am still trying to work out where and what I am going to use for it. _

Chapter 19  
_Lily_

Lily was really getting fed up with Katy and Black fighting. She had never before really appreciated how close of friends they were, but now that they weren't speaking, they were both driving her mad. She didn't think it would be possible for Black to drive her mad when he wasn't speaking to the only reason she ever hung out with him, but he did. He would shoot her glances during class that were obviously supposed to mean something significant but Lily could never figure out what it was.

Katy was even worse. Any time anyone mentioned Black's name she got all tense and wouldn't take part in the conversation until it had moved away from him. Granted it wasn't on him very much these days, but what had started in third year had continued with vigor. Girls would come up and ask Lily, Katy, Mary and Aimy very odd and random things about Black or ask for a date with him. Lily found this annoying but occasionally funny; one girl asked what color socks Black liked to wear most. However whenever anyone asked these questions now, Katy would open her mouth and start to say something and then shut her mouth very quickly again, blushing furiously and then going from an embarrassed-red face to an angry-red face.

"Do you think they'll ever fix this?" Mary asked Lily one evening. Katy and Aimy were in the dorm room. Katy wanted to work on her homework, but kept saying she couldn't concentrate with the four boys, Lily refused to even think of them as the "Marauders", making so much noise. Aimy had exchanged a knowing glance with Lily and then suggested that she and Katy go work upstairs. Katy had readily accepted.

"Eventually. They used to be really close." Lily frowned. She had hoped that after three weeks things would be looking up. But at least the two of them didn't shout at each other anymore. They just ignored each other now. "They just need to get over themselves and forgive each other."

"Excellent advice, Evans, I couldn't have said it better myself." Potter came over, grinning like mad at her.

"Oh, goody, just what I need now." Lily muttered to herself. "What do you want, Potter?"

"I just wanted to say, that I don't think your plan is working." He sat down, making himself nice and comfortable. "I've tried talking about all the great stuff he and Katy used to like to do, but then all Sirius does it get mad at me."

"Yeah, same here. Katy just won't participate in the conversation until it gets off of Black." Lily sighed. "Well, it's your turn to come up with something."

"Wait…" Mary grinned at them. "Are you two working together on something? By choice? This is too much. Just when you guys start being friends, Sirius and Katy won't talk to each other." Suddenly Mary froze looking warily from one side of Lily and Potter to the other. Apparently both parties had returned just then. And were both staring back and forth between each other and Lily and Potter.

"You're friends with James?" Black said incredulously.

"No!" Lily jumped up and was surprised that she felt bad when she saw the look of hurt of Potter's face. "We're just trying to help you."

"I don't need any help…" Black frowned at her.

"Yes you do. You and Katy are both being ridiculous. I've had just about enough of it. Forget your stupid pride and remember you like each other!" Lily said without thinking and saw it was almost the right thing. Both Katy and Black had visibly softened until she said "you like each other" and then both had hardened up again. They glared at each other and turned and stomped off in the directions they had come from.

"Well that sure helped." James said ironically to her.

"Shut up, Potter. You didn't do anything I noticed." She glared at him.

"I just think we need a new tactic, that's all. And I wasn't going to suggest shouting anything to them in front of everyone." James held up a big book. "I was thinking we could share this."

"What is it?" Lily regarded it suspiciously. Knowing Potter it would be some joke.

"Photo album." He said at once and Lily felt bad for immediately suspecting him of something bad. "It's full of pictures from first year up to now, Remus made this summer and it does have some of Katy and Sirius. So, I was thinking that we could take turns having it for a while and looking through it when we are near Katy or Sirius and get them to want to look at it too, and then they'll see those old pictures and I don't think one glance at an old picture is going to fix anything, just help them remember." Lily was once again surprised by Potter. He really had more to him than met the eye.

"Potter, that's brilliant." She smiled at him and it felt weird to be smiling at James Potter

"Why don't you take it upstairs? Tell her Remus lent it to you or something." He handed over the book and went back to his friends. Lily actually thought it was a good idea and she thought it might be fun to look at these pictures though she knew they would be heavy on Potter and Black. She and Mary gathered up their stuff and went upstairs. Katy and Aimy were not studying when they got into the dorm room. They were sitting on Katy's bed chatting.

"What's that, Lil?" Katy asked when Lily and Mary got into the room.

"Photo album." Lily smiled. "Remus lent it to us." She hit herself inwardly for lying to Katy but if it got Katy to be friends with Black again, then it was worth it.

Lily sat down next to Katy on her bed and opened the book. There was a quill in a little pocket. Next to it was a question, in Remus' handwriting; How many of you are there? Lily was confused but took out the quill and wrote 4. Three more quills suddenly appeared in the pocket.

"This is really cool!" Mary smiled as she grabbed one of the quills.

Please fill in your name so that your comments will be signed.

This next message appeared after the other three quills were taken out. Each of the girls wrote in her name.

Lily Evans

Mary Macdonald

Aimy Bennet

Katy Cupit

Hello! I hope you're feeling better, Katy!

Lily hadn't been expecting this. She looked over at Katy who seemed very amused.

"Remus does the coolest things with magic." She grinned.

Well I am now! She wrote smiling.

Lily turned the page.

In large writing that was clearly James' it said:

The Early Years!  
Life Before Hogwarts

Lily chuckled and turned to the other three.

"Do you think he has pictures of us? I mean I know there won't be any of me, but did you guys give him pictures?" She asked.

"Yeah, he said he wanted to make an album and did we have any pre-Hogwarts pictures, so I gave him a few." Aimy said and Mary nodded.

"He got a bunch of me from James." Katy said. "Now let's turn the page, I want to see the pictures."

Lily turned the page and there was cooing from everyone.

That was me when I was a year old. Said Remus' handwriting.

You were way cute, Remus! Katy wrote, deciding she really liked the comment leaving thing.

The next picture was off Katy and James when they were babies. They were both sitting in high chairs when it started and Mrs. Potter was giving them food. She then left the frame and James immediately threw his dinner at Katy who started wailing at the top of her voice.

Well aren't you charming James.

Aww, I thought it was cute!

You find pleasure in my pain? Thanks…

The next three pictures were of Mary, Aimy and Peter. After Peter was a picture of Black as a baby and Lily saw Katy's hand almost involuntarily start to write something but then she forced herself not to and Lily also saw the gratefulness on Katy's face when Mary started writing something.

Merlin, Sirius you were actually rather cute as a child. Odd…

Lily burst out laughing and, much to her relief, so did Katy.

And now onto Hogwarts!

Lily read as she turned the page. There weren't very many pictures from first year, since no one had a camera then, but when second year started there were lots of pictures. The first picture from second year was the very memorable first day Potter and Black had had. They had decided to jinx a water fountain to spit up purple dye on anyone who tried to use it. They did the jinxing on the way back to Gryffindor tower after the start of term feast and by morning had forgotten which water fountain it was and found it quickly after Potter used it. Black was laughing his head off until Potter turned it on again and shoved Black's face down in front of it. The picture Remus had was of the two of them, covered in purple dye attempting to prove to McGonagall that it was not their fault.

Would you two mind starting every term like that? It was a perfect way to get back in the Hogwarts mood!

You see, James, I always told you that you would look nice in purple! Lily did notice that Katy's comment directly left out Sirius.

So why did you think that would work again?

Who cares if it did't work, Lily! It was hilarious!

The four of them passed at least an hour looking through this photo album. Lily knew it had done something when she saw that Katy had borrowed it that night and was looking through it again, stopping for a long time on all the ones of Black. Lily looked at it in the morning and was not surprised to see some new comments.

However, her happiness because of the album didn't last long. Two weeks later and nothing had changed. Katy still looked at the album every night before she went to bed, but she didn't say anything to Black still and she hardly ever looked in his direction, except when she had to and even then she looked straight through him. But, Lily thought, Katy couldn't be blamed, Black was doing exactly the same thing.

As November rolled around, Lily felt as grey as the weather. Katy was still not talking to Black and showed no signs of relenting any time soon. She was also still more grumpy because Jack felt like she was ignoring him and she thought that was unreasonable. Every time Jack asked her anything about why she wasn't paying attention to him she would blow up and shout about how she had other things on her mind and she was not feeling very happy so excuse her if she didn't want to yuck it up.

With all of this, Lily was supremely surprised to find Katy looking happy and excited sitting in the common room one morning when Lily came down.

"Hey, you look happier than you've been in a while." Lily smiled. "What's up?"

"Look what I got." She grinned and held up a rose with a bow around it.

"Oooh, is it from Jack?" Lily sat down next to her.

"I think so. There isn't a tag." Katy jumped up. "Let's go to breakfast." She rushed out of the portrait hole. Lily followed her and as soon as they entered the Great Hall, Katy rushed over to Jack.

"Thank you so much for this! I'm sorry I yelled yesterday." She kissed him briefly and then smiled at him. He looked confused.

"For what?"

"For the rose you sent me." Katy frowned at him. "You did send this right?"

"I… uh…" He stammered and a friend of his who Lily didn't recognize got up.

"Of course he did. He wanted it to be a surprise. Like a secret admirer thing. Right, Jack?" The boy said and a lot of people around started laughing.

"You did?" Katy seemed thrilled. Lily didn't know how Katy didn't understand there was no way it was Jack who sent the rose, but decided not to intervene. "That's so sweet of you!"

"Come on, Kate, let's eat." Lily pulled Katy over to the Gryffindor table.

"Isn't that sweet of him? Trying to make it a secret." Katy cooed and Lily frowned at her.

"Did you not hear any of what just happened? Jack had never seen that flower before!"

"That's not true! He just didn't want me to find out about it." Katy said firmly. Lily sighed, it was not worth it. She suspected that Katy had been so happy about the flower she had heard what she wanted to and it would be useless to try to argue with her.

"What's that?" Potter asked, walking over to where Lily and Katy were sitting. Black, Remus and Peter were behind him.

"Jack gave me a rose!" Katy exclaimed. "He did it secretly too, cause he wanted it to be a surprise. But I knew it was from him the minute I saw it!" She grinned like mad and started staring at the rose.

Lily noticed that as the four boys walked by they each had a different reaction to the rose. Potter looked amused, Remus looked like he thought it was sweet, but there was also some pity in his look, Peter looked downright confused and Black looked like he wished he could shred the flower.

That day in Transfiguration, an owl came soaring in the open classroom door with a large box with a big bow on it. Professor McGonagall was not happy with it being there, and when it wouldn't leave, she took the box from it. Upon looking at the label, she frowned and turned to Katy.

"Do you know what this means, Miss Cupit?" She held out the box. On it was written: Katy Cupit – From your secret admirer. Katy took the box giggling.

"No, Professor, I don't." She answered. Professor McGongall clicked her tongue and resumed the class. "Why on earth did he write 'from you secret admirer' on this? I know it's him." Katy whispered to Lily. Lily was at this point quite certain that the rose and the box that most likely was full of chocolate as it had a chocolate box look to it, were not from Jack. She wondered why Katy was so adverse to having a secret admirer. She would have loved to get things like that, although it wouldn't have been much of a secret who they were from.

At lunch Katy went giggling up to Jack.

"You didn't have to write 'secret admirer' when I know it's you. But thank you for the chocolate." She kissed him again and went back to the Gryffindor table. Lily watched him after this and she could see a kind of desperate uncertainty in him. He clearly had no idea what was going on or who was sending his girlfriend flowers and chocolate. Lily heard him ask his friend from the morning if he had been the one doing it and his friend looked at Jack like he was crazy.

"Katy," Lily tentatively said. "Maybe that stuff isn't from Jack." She noticed the boys all look up when she said that. "Maybe it's just someone else who likes you but is too afraid to say it. Or knows you have a boyfriend. But I really don't get the idea Jack sent you that stuff." She leaned back waiting for the explosion.

"I know," Katy leaned in a whispered and Lily saw out of the corner of her the boys all leaned towards them. "It's obvious he didn't send it. But I do feel bad for how I've been so I don't care, I'll just let him think I think he sent it to me and that I love it. I do however want to know who is sending it." Lily grinned at her.

"Alright, I won't say anything to Jack and I'll pretend right along with you and in the meantime, let's see if we can find out who loooooooves you." Lily said, giggling right along with Katy.

"Alright, I've got to go." Katy jumped and Lily had no idea where Katy was going, but she left in a hurry.

"What was that about?" Black asked far too quickly.

"Why would you care, Black? Don't you hate Katy?" Lily challenged.

"So you guys don't know who's sending her that stuff?" He said and Lily could hear the challenge returned in his voice.

"Do you?" She glared at him.

"Why would I tell you?" He taunted.

"Because deep down there must be some human feeling in you." Lily said, standing up and leaning across the table towards him.

"Not for her." He stood up too and the two of them were about four inches apart.

"Well that's really nasty of you, Sirius Black." Lily's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Leave her be, Sirius." Remus stood up and pushed Black back down. "Sorry about him, Lily." Remus glared at Black.

"Ugh!" Lily cried and left the Great Hall, wondering where on earth Katy had gone.

_So the first bit of year 4 done! Alright, but no talk from me, I need to go and work on chapter 20!_

_Lily_


	21. Chapter 20

_Hello dearies!_

_Not a whole lot to say here... Oh yes, to missi malfoy: yes my real name is Lily. _

Chapter 20  
_Katy_

Katy knew from the minute she saw the unlabeled rose that it wasn't from Jack. Not that he wouldn't send her presents, just if he did, he would sign them. She didn't have any idea who it was from and by the end of the week she was really wishing whoever it was would just sign one of the cards. Almost every single class was being interrupted by some owl to bring her a gift and she was getting really tired of acting surprised and delighted and thanking Jack next time she saw him. She now had two dozen roses and a bouquet of various flowers. She also had about ten boxes of Honeydukes chocolate. She shared this chocolate with all her friends, but there was a part of her that wished she could share it with Sirius. He was always fun to eat chocolates with because you never knew what was in them and he had to weirdest ways of biting into a chocolate so that if the filling was disagreeable to him, he got the least amount of it possible.

Katy could also tell Jack was getting tired of pretending to have sent her all the stuff, and she could see he sincerely thought she thought it was him. Which meant he was afraid she would find out it wasn't and get mad at him.

"Katy, you should tell your secret admirer to send something other than chocolate." Mary grinned one night as they were eating one of the many boxes of chocolate Katy had received that day. "I'm going to be sick of it soon."

"You know, me too. As flattered as I am by this stuff. I do want to be able to eat chocolate at other times in my life." Katy giggled. "And at this rate, I won't want to ever again."

Apparently the secret admirer found out about this conversation because Katy stopped getting chocolate. She continued getting flowers and bouquets and started getting little poems and rhymes.

"Katy, I have to straight with you." Jack said seriously to her one day when they were out walking together on the grounds. "It wasn't me with all that stuff. I'm sorry I lied, I just didn't know what to say and you seemed so sure it was me…" he trailed off.

"It's fine, Jack. I sort of guessed it wasn't you after a little while." Katy didn't want him mad at her, so she changed the story a little bit. He looked relieved.

"Okay, so we're good about all this?" She nodded. "Do you know who it is, by any chance?" He asked her.

"Why, going to go beat them up?" Katy grinned. "I actually don't. I kind of wish I knew though." She sighed. Katy had no idea who it was.

She got a rather odd surprise the next day when she woke up. Just like usual, there was a rose on her bedside table, only it was wilted. It had her name on it, just like usual and nothing else seemed amiss so Katy just dismissed it as a flower that had wilted earlier than this secret admirer anticipated. She wasn't so sure, however, when she opened the door to go into the common room and found herself following a trail of wilted, dead roses.

She stopped part way down and stared at the roses. Lily soon caught up with her.

"What on earth?" Lily asked. "Why are you holding about fourteen dead roses and staring at a line of more?" Lily looked from Katy to the roses. She looked at the tags on the roses and all too soon, Katy realized she was crying. Lily noticed and said in a hopeful voice, "Maybe it was just a bad batch?"

"Yeah, right!" Katy grabbed each rose and she ran down the stairs and started sobbing when she saw the common room was also full of dead roses. "Who on earth is sending me this? And it has to be the person who has been sending me stuff all this time, because the handwriting and the notes are all the same as always." Katy looked from person to person, by now most of the Gryffindors were assembled at the bottom of the stairs looking at Katy.

In Charms, Katy got a bouquet of dead flowers that she threw on the ground and ignored for the rest of class. In Transfiguration, Katy got a box of chocolate. She eyed it warily, waiting for something to jump out of it, or the chocolate to start spitting poison. When nothing happened, she forgot about the chocolate that was in her book bag. She took it out that night in the common room and set it on the desk where she was working.

"Can I have a piece?" Mary asked. "I'm starting to miss us gorging on chocolate every night." She grinned at took a piece and popped it in her mouth. She immediately made a weird face and Katy suddenly thought she had just poisoned Mary.

"What's the matter?" Katy cried, jumping up.

"Nothing, it tastes different than any chocolate I've had before, but I like it." She smiled and took another piece. Katy offered one to Lily and Aimy who both accepted and took one for herself. Mary had been right; this chocolate was different than anything she had ever tried before, but it was good. Without warning, Remus came running up to the four of them.

"Did you guys just eat that?" He asked, looking at them, panicked.

"Yeah, it's really good!" Katy said through a full mouth of chocolate. "Want some?" She held out the box.

"No! You guys have to go upstairs. Go to your dorm and don't come back till morning." He started pushing them towards the stairs.

"I don't want to!" Katy scowled at him. "I want to eat some more chocolate." She pushed by him and grabbed the half empty box, stuffing a few more in her mouth.

"Listen to me!" Remus almost yelled. "Don't pay attention to what anyone else says. Especially if you think they are asking you a question. Please go upstairs. It's for your own good." Katy noticed that Remus was practically begging, but she didn't care. She wanted to eat some more chocolate. She quickly multiplied the chocolate and the four of them began eating and eating and eating. Katy had never felt happier or more carefree in her life. She could eat chocolate for the rest of her life and she would be happy. She did hear Remus mutter "I can't watch this." And then go up to his dorm, but she forgot about it less than thirty seconds after she heard it.

"Hey there, Cupit." Sirius came up to her, grinning.

"Want some chocolate?" She asked, then frowned trying to remember something. "Wait, no, I think I'm mad at you for something." She pulled the now overflowing box of chocolate back towards her.

"Trust me, I don't want to start acting like you. I was just hoping I could ask you something."

"Sure, okay." Katy took some more chocolate.

"Do you like Sirius?" James pushed Sirius out of the way and looked intently at Katy.

"Yes I do. A lot. More than I like Jack. Now would you like some chocolate?" She shoved the box at him, completely unaware that she had just imparted some very interesting information.

"I… uh… no thanks." He stammered.

"Why are you looking at me funny?" She demanded.

"Why are you about two inches away from my face?" He asked back, pushing her away. "And what is up with you guys?" He looked at the four girls, Katy was smiling like an idiot and staring at Sirius who was looking supremely smug while the other three girls were stuffing their faces with chocolate. "Sirius, please tell me you have nothing to do with this." He said.

"Alright, I had nothing to do with this." Sirius smirked.

"Hi Sirius!" Katy shouted and ran over to him.

"Leave me alone." He glared at her.

"What? But no, Lily said you like me too! Isn't that great! We can like each other together!" Katy was bouncing off the walls by now. "Like a club! We can start a club!" She started running around in circles, and stopped in front of Lily, Mary and Aimy. "Do you guys want to join my club?"

"No." Lily said and got some more chocolate.

"Yes!" Mary started jumping too. Aimy didn't say anything, apparently she didn't hear. She did however stand up really fast and run over to James.

"James, does Remus like me?" She was pulling on his robes frantically.

"Oh, er… I don't know." James tried to back away from her, but she held on tight to him.

"Yes you do, you have to tell me. Cause I know! About him. And why you guys want to help him. Tell me this or I will tell everyone what Remus' problem is." Aimy said, staunching holding on to James' robes.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He's always sick-" She was cut off by Sirius physically wrestling her to the ground.

"Yeah, he likes you, now shut up!" Sirius said, hostilely.

"Sirius why don't you like me?" Katy went back over to him. "James, doesn't he like me?" She pleaded.

"He does." James looked at Sirius. "He just won't admit it."

"Really?!" Katy shrieked and ran over to Sirius and kissed him. She kissed him long and hard and she'd never felt better in her life. Then she started feeling the worse she could remember. She felt like she was going to throw up. And then die. She looked over at her friends to tell them to stop eating the chocolate cause it was making her sick and saw all three of them looked green and woozy. She watched Mary fall over in a dead faint and then fainted herself.

Katy had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she was laying on the floor with her eyes closed. She could hear a loud ringing in her ears and loud, excited, worried voices all around her. She kept her eyes shut and listened.

"Sirius what did you do to them?" She heard James say angrily.

"I didn't do anything. They did it to themselves." Sirius said, just as angrily. "I just wanted to embarrass Katy. I didn't mean for the other girls to eat them. And I don't know what happened with everything she was saying. It was just supposed to make her hyper and want more chocolate and act like an idiot."

"How could you do this to her?" Remus' voice came through Katy foggy mind.

"I didn't know it would make her faint. And I didn't think she'd eat that much." Katy wasn't sure if she should be mad, glad or sad that Sirius sounded genuinely upset.

"What exactly were they?" Remus asked.

"It was just chocolate with a Ridicule spell on it." Suddenly Katy's mind became a lot less foggy. She jumped up. She couldn't remember anything that had happened that evening, but a few other things did click into place.

"It was you! The whole time! You were sending me that nice stuff. Were you just buttering me up for when you wanted to poison me?" She didn't care that she had startled half to death most of the people in the room. "And then you sent all those terrifying dead roses and then the poisoned chocolate and you did it on purpose and you wanted to make me look like a freak and then… then…" Katy realized she was lost. She didn't know what happened next. "How is it you managed to delete my memory of today?" She hissed at him.

"I didn't do anything to your memory!" He shouted at her. "But you know, what my plan worked better than I would have hoped. I just thought you would run around like an idiot, but no! you were shouting all sorts of interesting stuff at us." Katy froze, she had no idea what she had said. She pulled out her wand.

"You tell me exactly what happened or I will hex you to smithereens."

"I don't really think we need to relive that. It was enough fun the first time, no need for a repeat." James said, pulling Katy's wand out of her hand.

"James Potter give me back my wand!" She shrieked. "And tell me what happened. Or just the worse part. So I know what I'm up against."

James muttered something incoherent.

"I didn't catch that, could you be a little louder?" She growled at him.

"You made out with Sirius." James said and then ran behind Peter.

"I WHAT?" Katy screeched.

"And you said you liked him more than Jack."

"Ugh!" Katy yelled and grabbed one of the chocolates. She ran out of the common room with it. Katy kept running until she reached the Transfiguration room. She pushed open the door and ran to Professor McGonagall's office.

"Professor, I need to see you, it's an emergency!" She shouted banging on the door. McGonagall opened the door looking severely disapproving but upon one glance at Katy, she raised her eyebrows and let her in.

"What's the matter, Miss Cupit?"

"I need to know what is in this chocolate!" She showed it to McGonagall who frowned at it.

"It looks like a regular chocolate to me."

"But it isn't! I can't remember what happened after I ate one. I… found them." Katy wasn't sure why she wasn't turning in Sirius. "I found them and tried one and then I do remember wanting more and then apparently I started doing weird stuff. Really weird stuff. And Lily and Mary and Aimy ate some too, but they haven't come to yet."

"What do you mean?" Professor McGonagall said sharply. "You mean this chocolate caused to act in a way that is not usual for you and then made you lose consciousness?" Katy nodded. "This is really serious, Miss Cupit. Isn't this your chocolate? Haven't you been receiving chocolate for at least a month from a secret admirer?"

"Yes." Katy still didn't mention Sirius and she wasn't sure why. "But I don't know who it is."

"Well we need to find out." Professor McGonagall moved to the door. "Can you bring me the other three girls and one direct eyewitness? I'll meet you in Professor Slughorn's office."

Katy rushed back to the Gryffindor common room and was pleased to see Lily, Mary and Aimy all screaming their heads off at Sirius. She got their attention and waved them over to her. She also got James to come over.

"Come on, we've got to go." She pushed them all through the portrait hole, leaving a very curious crowd behind them.

"What is going on, Kate?" Lily asked.

"We're going to meet McGonagall and Slughorn. They'll fix this whole thing."

"Why do you need me?" James asked warily. "I didn't do this, you know."

"I know, McGonagall wants an eyewitness. Oh, and none of you tell her it was Sirius who did it."

This was followed by cries of outrage from the other three girls.

"I just don't want her to know yet, that's all. He'll get what's coming eventually. Plus, I already told her I didn't know who it was."

"Fine." Lily pursed her lips, reminiscent of McGonagall and the five of them walked down to the dungeons.

_Okay, so more to say here. No i do not think Sirius is a nasty evil human being. I just see him as the sort of person who is not very mature, holds a grudge and likes big showy things, and likes to get his way. So I see him as someone who would do this sort of thing, but I still love him and I hope you do not hate my Sirius either._

_Also... I am wondering what people thing about how it will end. It's not going to end anytime soon but I've realized the end I have planned in the back of my head is rather less than a happy ending. So I would like people's imput on how i might end it. Becuase I am not going to have everybody live happily ever after as that is not canon at all and i rather like it when things stay canon. So what do you think?_

_Lily_


	22. Chapter 21

_Two chapters in a row! Go me :) okay and i am soooo sorry that i forgot to adjust font and stuff like that in the notes for people who already tried to read this... doing that right now._

Chapter 21  
_Lily_

"These have an incorrectly cast Ridicule charm on them. Because of what happened it is clear the person had different conscious and subconscious ideas of what should happen with this chocolate." Professor Slughorn was say when the five Gryffindors entered his office. He looked like he thought it was all good fun and a big joke. McGonagall looked like she did not share that opinion. "I would guess it was a practical joke on a friend but with a nasty subconscious thought at the time of the casting. This is one of those tricky little spells you have to be very intentional about what you want to happen."

"Thank you Horace." Professor McGonagall said and looked up at the students who were standing in the doorway. "Well, I think we'll all be going then. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't an accidental or on purpose failed potion of poison of any kind."

"Nothing of the sort!" Slughorn boomed and Lily and the rest of them followed McGonagall up to Professor Flitwick's classroom.

"Filius, we need your help. These four" McGonagall gestured at the girls. "all ate incorrectly charmed chocolate and Mr. Potter here saw what happened. We have a piece of the chocolate with us, and Horace said it was an incorrectly cast Ridicule charm, so I thought we'd come up here and let you have a look at it."

"Very well," Flitwick squeaked. "Come over here please, girls. Now can you tell me what exactly you remember happening?"

"Actually, Professor, none of us remember any of what happened after we started eating the chocolate." Lily said, stepping forward. Mary, Aimy and Katy all nodded in agreement.

"Hmm," Flitwick tutted. "Mr. Potter, what exactly happened, I need to know to figure out what exactly can be done about this."

"Well," Potter looked around nervously. "Katy's been getting chocolate from someone who said they were her secret admirer for a while and this one was different. Mary at the first piece and wanted more and then all four of them were eating and eating and eating and then Sirius went over and wanted to ask Katy a question and then I was afraid of what he was going to ask, cause they've been fighting, but I figured it would be about whether or not Katy liked him, so I just asked if she did and she said yes and she was bouncing all over the place and then she started shouting about starting a club with Sirius and then Aimy wanted to know if Remus liked her and she was going to tell his secret," Potter stopped, horrified with himself. Lily noticed both Professors exchange a worried glance. "But Sirius tackled her and told her that Remus did like her and to shut up. Then Katy started kissing Sirius and then she pulled back looking sick and then Mary fainted and then Katy fainted and Lily and Aimy both fainted about twenty seconds later."

Lily stared incredulously at Potter. All of that had happened? She was glad nothing had happened with herself.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, that was most helpful." Flitwick said, smiling. "You may go now." He pointed to the door and McGonagall showed Potter out of the room and came back, shutting the door.

"Well girls, as long as you're feeling better, it should wear off after a little while. Just try to steer clear of most people until all the symptoms are gone. By morning you should be fine. Just go back to your dorm room and stay there for the rest of the night." Flitwick smiled and them. "Oh and make sure to tell a professor when you find out who is responsible for this. He or she will need to be properly punished."

Lily followed a beaming Katy out of the Charms classroom, confused.

"Katy, why aren't we telling them it was Black?" She asked, Mary and Aimy came over and nodded.

"Because, this will be worse. He knows that we know he did it. And he knows that he will get in loads of trouble if the teachers find out he did it. So he's going to be extremely confused when he doesn't get punished. Anytime a teacher talks to him, he'll be terrified they're going to give him detention for the rest of his life. It will be hilarious." Katy smirked and Lily saw this was not an act of kindness.

As Lily stepped in the common room she was greeted with an odd sight. Black was pacing up and down in the middle of the room while Potter looked on, amused.

"What do you mean she isn't telling McGonagall I did it?" He frowned. "That's something she would do. This makes no sense." He continued pacing.

"See, he's driving himself crazy, my plan is working." Katy whispered to Lily. "Now let's get upstairs before anything bad happens." They were almost to the stairs when Black noticed them.

"What did you tell McGonagall?" He rushed over to Katy.

"Why don't you ask James? He was there." She beamed at him. "Good night, dearie." She blew him a kiss and went upstairs giggling. Lily waited a bit to savor Black's completely terrified expression and then followed Aimy up the stairs. "When they got in the dorm room, Katy and Mary were already laughing and talking about what had happened just then.

"That was brilliant, absolutely brilliant!" Mary was saying through her tears of laughter.

"That was pretty funny, Kate." Lily grinned and sat down next to Mary. Aimy joined them and the four of them stayed up pretty late into the night laughing and talking.

Eventually everyone went to bed and Mary and Aimy fell asleep almost immediately. Lily took a bit longer because she was thinking about the day. She often found it hard to sleep when she had had an exciting or scary day. She was just about asleep however when a strangled noise from behind Katy's curtains got her attention. She pulled them back and Katy didn't notice. She was sitting with the photo album Remus had made, staring at a picture of her and Black from the summer after first year. They were standing in front of a house Lily didn't recognize with their arms around each other's shoulders grinning like mad and waving up out of the picture. It took 

Lily a little while to realize Katy was crying as she looked at the picture and that was the noise that had kept her awake.

"Katy…" Lily said quietly and Katy looked up, with an intensely worried and pained look on her face.

"That was mean." Katy sobbed. "What I did to Sirius. I should have just told him I didn't tell on him because I…" She broke off, a fresh wave a tears coming down her face. "I care about him. And I want to be his friend again. And I don't hate him. And I'm sorry."

"Oh, Katy, that's all he needs to know. He feels the same way, I know." Lily pushed Katy's hair out of her face and scooted onto the bed next to her. "Just tell him the truth."

"I can't. Not after what I just did to him."

"No, Katy. He's the one who should be laying in bed crying. What he did to you was nasty. It was mean and uncalled for." Lily said firmly.

"What am I going to tell Jack tomorrow?" Katy suddenly wailed. "There is no way that no one is going to tell anyone anything that happened tonight."

"Hopefully, he'll understand. You weren't yourself." Lily brushed away that thought. It didn't work on Katy though.

"What if that is some sort of truth thing? What if it made me say how I was really feeling? What if I really do like Sirius more than Jack?" Katy took a deep breath. "What if I'm not sorry I kissed Sirius?" She looked pleadingly at Lily and it all made sense to Lily.

"These aren't hypothetical 'what ifs' are they?" Lily asked and Katy burst into tears again and slowly began shaking her head. "Oh, Katy, I'm so sorry. You'll just have to tell him the truth then. And you need to talk to Jack about this. He deserves to be told the truth." Katy nodded and fell asleep leaning against Lily. Lily fell asleep soon too and both of them woke up a little confused.

"Why are you in my bed?" Katy smiled as she asked Lily in the morning.

"Hey, you fell asleep on me last night." Lily grinned back. Suddenly Lily stopped smiling as Katy frowned. "How are you?" She asked timidly.

"I need to talk to Jack." Katy said firmly.

"What are you going to say?" Lily asked.

"Tell him how I feel." Katy frowned. "Tell him I am sorry, but it just isn't working anymore."

"Well, I guess that's straightforward." Lily said, almost to herself. She didn't anticipate Jack appreciating that.

However she never got the opportunity to see his reaction. As she and Katy walked down to the Great Hall, he came up to them in the corridor, fuming.

"What exactly happened last night, Katy?" He pulled her off to the side, away from everybody but she grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her along with them.

"What do you mean?" Katy asked, frantically looking to Lily.

"I hear you and Sirius Black really got it on in the common room." Jack snorted. "I thought we were going out, but apparently not."

"Apparently what?" Katy asked.

"Apparently we aren't going out anymore."

"Who told you that?" Katy looked at him funny.

"I did. I don't want to go out with a girl who kisses someone else and then tells them she likes them better than me." He glared at Katy. "So I'll save you the trouble of ending this slowly and painfully by breaking up with you right now." He let go of her arm and stalked off.

"Well that was a disaster." Katy said, rubbing her arm. "And he's got quite the grip." After a few seconds she burst out laughing. "Well hey, as he said; now I don't have to break up with him. Oh well, I guess we'll never be just friends." She grinned at Lily who was seriously concerned for her friend.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" She asked.

"Yes, I was going to break up with him today anyway. You know that. He did it for me. Much less messy." Katy smiled. "Honest, Lil, I'm just fine."

"Alright then…" Lily wasn't sure she believed her, but decided not to argue and followed Katy to the Great Hall.

Lily wasn't sure if Katy was putting on an act, but she seemed perfectly content through most of breakfast. Her composure was completely thrown when Black, Potter, Remus and Peter came in. Since most Gryffindors always sat in the same place on the table, the only place left open was the bit right next to and across from them. The boys sat down in the usual place and Black looked nervously at Katy who was determinedly staring at a spot on the wall. Lily supposed it was so she didn't start crying, but Black seemed to take it as anger.

"Katy." He said and she did look at him then, with very forced composure. "Please tell me what happened last night. All James has said is that you didn't want anyone to tell McGonagall. But then he left and you lot with McGonagall and Flitwick. Please just tell me when they're going to come up and punish me." He almost looked worried, and sorry. Lily felt herself feeling bad for him and then quickly admonished herself. He had caused her best friend so much sadness, he deserved a little in return. Although Katy didn't seem to agree.

"Alright, fine. I didn't tell her. And I told Lily and Mary and Aimy not to either. Cause I don't hate you. I don't want you to be in detention for the rest of the year. And I'm not mean." She looked pointedly at him and then left the Great Hall.

"Is that true?" Black immediately asked Lily.

"Yeah, I don't know why told you though. Her original plan was to make you suffer waiting for a teacher to put you in detention and wondering why no one was mad at you, but I guess she changed her mind." Lily understood exactly why Katy had done what she did, but there was no way she was going to tell Black. "Maybe you can talk to her after break. We have Christmas break next week." Lily smiled at him and got the weird feeling one gets when you smile at someone you hate.

She found Katy crouching right outside the door of the Great Hall.

"That was great what you told him!" She exclaimed. "And thank you for not telling him everything."

"Of course not." Lily smiled. "Now let's go to class."

_(Hi, it's me! So here are the fonts for the various people: Katy, _Lily, **James, _Sirius, _**Remus, **Mary, _Peter_**

**Are you really not mad at Sirius anymore?** Came a note during Transfiguration that morning.

_Can we talk about this later? And no, I'm not really mad anymore._

That's terrific! Now James, take Katy's advice and don't press this. Pay attention to McGonagall.

**Yeah, that's a great plan. Tell them to stop passing notes using a note. Wow Remus…** Mary passed the note and when it finally got back to her she ripped it up and shook her head at them all.

By lunch Lily was starting to think Katy was really feeling almost happy about everything that was happening. In History of Magic she learned one thing that was apparently still troubling Katy.

_I never bought Sirius a present. Cause I was so mad. But no I feel bad about that. What should I do?_

Can't you mail order something for him? Or just tell him why you didn't buy him anything. I bet he did the same thing.

_Lily! Not helping!_

Sorry…

Suddenly the note was snatched by Potter. He looked at it and grinned.

**I don't think he has anything for you right now, Kate.**

_Is he planning on getting me anything?_

**I don't know.**

_You're as bad as Lily. No help at all._

Hey now! I don't think I'm as bad as Potter.

**Well that's boring then. You've got to live an exciting life, Evans.**

Gee thanks for the tip.

_James could you just ask Sirius about the present thing?_

Katy why do you care so much? Just send him a card.

**He says he doesn't know.**

_Wonderful_…

You guys just never pay attention do you? Lily wasn't sure how Remus had gotten the note, but she didn't really care.

**Why should we? We always get the notes from you and Aimy.**

What if we don't give them to you?

**Then you are mean, mean people.**

I'm telling Aimy you think she's mean.

Wow… and I thought you were much better than Potter and Black.

**_Nope, Remus is the smart one. He figures out how to do all the pranks James and Sirius come up with._**

Thanks Peter…

**_Mostly that I come up with._** Lily froze, she didn't know what Black would do when he saw the whole note, but they were just about onto a second piece of parchment, so Lily quickly got rid of the first tone.

How modest of you, Black.

**_You should know I'm a very modest person, Lily dear._**

**Don't try it Sirius. Just call her Lily or Evans. Otherwise she gets on your case.**

_Maybe it's just you who she doesn't let call her that. She does hold you in completely your own category._

Oh Katy why would you say that?? Now he's going to think she's madly in love with him and just not telling anyone. But James will be a pain for the rest of the day now.

Oh please, he's always a pain.

**_No he isn't!_**

**Thank you Peter!**

**Why didn't anyone tell me we were passing notes earlier. I've been getting the pants bored off me by Binns for ever. I don't know Aimy can take notes… I can barely stay awake.**

**Welcome to the slackers association!**

Hey now! I usually take notes.

_Well technically Remus, we all usually take notes too, they just don't have anything to do with History of Magic._

**Hey that's true!**

Hey, Binns is standing up! Class is over.

**Don't you mean floating up?**

Lily snorted at Potter and then packed up her books.

By Friday things were mostly okay between Black and Katy although Katy was still very unsure about what to do for Sirius for Christmas. Mary had suggested she wait and see if Black sent her a present and then send him one really quickly if he did. Lily knew that Katy was not looking forward to Christmas. She didn't really want to go home and give her mother the opportunity to decide not to send her back. Lily was quite looking forward to Christmas because she was staying at Hogwarts for the break.

She and her sister were more civil now, but it was still very awkward around her. Her parents had sent her a letter saying they were going to visit her mum's parents for the break. Her 

maternal grandparents were always very strict and hated anything out of the ordinary so Lily had been afraid it would be a very awkward and painful visit and decided to stay at school. Her parents had agreed, sent her a gift and a note saying they'd miss her. She noticed that on the card, Petunia's name had been added in a different color pen than the rest of the letter and it was clearly not in Petunia's handwriting.

Lily was a little bit bummed when she found out both Mary and Aimy were going to be gone, but she thought it would be nice to have some time to herself.

"So, Evans, you're staying at school for the holidays?" Black came up to her on Friday at lunch.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just wondering. Do you know who else is staying?"

"No one."

"Wrong."

"Who is?" Lily asked, her heart sinking.

"James and I." He grinned at her.

"Oh, Merlin my worst nightmare. Two weeks with no one but the trouble twins as my company." Lily muttered as she pushed past Black and went back to the common room. She thought about asking her parents to let her come with them, but then remembered they had taken Petunia out of school a week early and were already at her grandparents house. She would just have to tough it out.

"So we're going to have a nice party, me, you and Sirius." Potter smiled as she entered the common room.

"Oh yeah, a terrific party." Lily frowned at him. "Why exactly aren't you going home?"

"Sirius hates his family. And I'm keeping him company. My mum wasn't so keen on it, but she agreed. Why are you here?" Potter asked.

"My family's going to visit some uptight relatives. Who always hated that I liked fairy tales as a kid, so can you imagine how they would react to all this?" Lily didn't want to know what would happen if they found out. "I'm actually not sure what my parents told them about my school."

"That would be awkward…" Potter agreed. "It's nice having all my family the same. I bet it would be sort of weird."

"It is, trust me. You're lucky you have no jealous siblings." Lily hated herself for saying it the moment she did.

"Is that what you and your sister fight about? She's jealous?" Potter looked surprised.

"Wow…" Black had caught up with them. "You two are having a real conversation. And Lily isn't hexing James. Or threatening him. Or doing anything less than friendly." He grinned at the two of them and Lily could help but smile back. Maybe this holiday wouldn't be as bad as she thought.

By the end of the first week or break, Lily had been just about driven mad. She could not figure out Potter and Black. One minute they would be having a nice conversation and Lily would find herself rethinking her prejudice against them and then they would do or say something awful. After a full two weeks in their company Lily was ready to shoot herself. She didn't know how Katy put up with their boundless energy. They never got tired. They never ran out of terrifying ideas or pranks to pull and Lily could tell that most of them were meant for Severus and was rather grateful they didn't mention this around her.

_So I know I should have done more with the whole Christmas break thing, but my plot ideas ran away. I didn't want to spend a long time having normal conversations, then weird ones, then normal ones, then weird ones, so I just said what happened... I hope we're all okay with that._

_I love each and everyone of you (especially if you've reviewed!)  
Lily_


	23. Chapter 22

_Wow... longest chapter ever! haha oh i guess i havn't said this in a while, so i'll repeat it: i don't own this world, it's all JKR's._

Chapter 22  
_Katy_

"How was Christmas?" Katy asked, embracing Lily when she got into the Gryffindor common room.

"Odd…" Lily shook her head. "Potter and Black stayed also and I cannot figure them out."

"They can be sort of confusing at times." Katy grinned. "Oh, it's good to be back. My mum's a pain if I ever saw one."

"Your mum's sweet!" Lily said, frowning at Katy. Katy raised her eyebrows.

"She kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to stay at school. She was offering to home school Lucie and I almost every day. It was really annoying."

"Katy!" Lucie came up to her, looking frustrated. "Have you seen my blue scarf? I had it on the train."

"Yeah, I've got it." Katy handed her sister the scarf.

"Thanks!" Lucie said and turned around, bumping into James and causing him to drop the pile of books he was carrying. Lucie turned bright red and started picking them up.

"Wow, James. I didn't know you owned that many books." Katy smirked and started picking up books too.

"I didn't. Apparently my mum told everyone in my family I needed to 'broaden my horizons' and had them all give me books for Christmas." He said sourly. "Thanks for helping me, Lucie!' he took the books from her and began working his way up the stairs to his dormitory.

"Lucie, get a grip." Katy smirked, pushing Lucie. "You look ridiculously red right now."

Lucie turned an even brighter shade of red and rushed off to her dorm.

"That was sweet of you." Lily frowned at Katy. "And what was up with Lucie?"

"Oh you know, she's still in love with James, even though she says she's 'over him.'" Katy shook her head, laughing. "She'll fight you for him." She grinned.

"He's all hers." Lily smiled. "Does she think I like him?"

"Well, she knows that he likes you, and she's afraid you like him."

"Well you can tell her I do not like him at all." Lily said. "She's sweet; I don't want her hating me for no reason."

"She doesn't hate you, she's just a bit jealous of you."

Katy giggled when she heard Lily muttering things like "ridiculous" but didn't keep the conversation going. She went upstairs and unpacked her things. She was a bit nervous about seeing Sirius; she hadn't run into him since her arrival.

Katy managed to not run into him until dinner that night. She knew it was unavoidable but she was still very unsure about how it would go.

"Have a nice break, Katy?" Katy immediately felt better when Sirius called her Katy instead of Cupit.

"It was okay, my mum tried to get me to agree to be home schooled, but you know." She smiled shyly at him and he looked confused.

"Good, erm." He cleared his throat. "Yeah, good." Katy grinned when he blushed a bit, obviously thinking he sounded like an idiot.

"What about you?" She asked, trying to move on with the conversation.

"Oh, it was fine. Me and James and Lily hung out."

"You hung out with Lily?" Katy asked. "She was okay with that?"

"Some of the time, some of the time she told us we were acting like babies, but sometimes it was okay." Sirius laughed.

"Good." Katy said and knew at once she had killed the conversation.

"Yeah…" he said awkwardly.

"I had a good Christmas too!" Remus said loudly and Katy laughed at his blatant interruption but what glad for it.

"What about you, Peter?" James asked, also loudly.

"Why are you talking so loud?" Mary interrupted as she sat down. "Sorry, Peter."

"My Christmas was really boring." He said. "Just me and my parents. No fun at all."

"Aw, too bad." Sirius said, but he didn't sound like he meant it. He just seemed to want to keep the conversation going.

"I am not ready to start classes again." James frowned at his plate. "I was enjoying not having homework every day." Everybody nodded their agreement and then the food appeared on the plates and they began eating.

Two weeks into term, Katy was happy nothing new had arisen between her and Sirius. She had been so completely focused on making sure nothing happened she was completely thrown when Lily approached her about something else.

"Katy?" Lily asked in the common room one night. The two of them were sitting by themselves away from everyone else.

"Hmm?" Katy said.

"Have you noticed anything odd about Potter lately?" Lily asked.

"No, not really. What has James been doing?" Katy looked up, concerned.

"Nothing." Lily frowned. "And that's just it. He hasn't hardly talked to me. And he hasn't acted like an idiot around me like usual. It's just different, and I don't get it."

"Maybe he's gotten over you." Katy suggested. She would really have to keep an eye on James, she had to see this change for herself.

"Maybe, but I can't tell. He still pays attention to me sometimes, but just not in the obnoxious way he used to."

"Do you like him?" Katy said, jumping up. "Do you miss him paying attention to you and always flirting with you?"

"No!" Lily said, frowning at Katy. "Trust me, I don't like him. I just don't get it and I was wondering what you thought."

"Well, I hadn't noticed, but if you like, I'll watch and tell you what I think."

"Would you? Thanks." Lily smiled. She turned to look at him and then turned back to Katy. "See, he never used to talk to your sister. Now he's helping Lucie with something." Katy didn't believe it, she looked to where Lily was pointing and saw that James was indeed helping Lucie with something.

"Weird." She said. "I don't know. He'd better not be leading her on. He knows she likes him."

"Do you think he likes her?" Lily asked.

"Maybe." Katy grinned. "If my theory is correct and he's over you, I guess it's possible he's started liking her. You know, cause she likes him back so I guess it's kind of easy to like someone when you get positive responses from them."

"Maybe." Lily said, apparently deep in thought though Katy wasn't sure what about.

Over the next few weeks, Katy did watch James and her sister more closely and was surprised to see them spending time together. She decided it was time to talk to James about it.

"James, we need to talk about Lucie." She said one afternoon when they were outside by the lake.

"What about her?" He asked, looking confused at Katy.

"Do you like her?"

"Sort of, I don't really know."

"Well you better figure it out. Cause you know she likes you and if she thinks you like her back when you don't that's bad. And I will not let you lead on my sister. You better tell her the truth if you don't like her the same way she likes you." Katy said firmly, clearly scaring James a bit.

"Okay, okay, calm down." He grinned. "Would you care if I liked her?"

"That depends." Katy said. "What about Lily?"

"What about her?" He asked again.

"Aren't you still madly in love with her?"

"I still like her, yes." James said smiling. Then he paused and looked at Katy in a funny way. "How is it you can get me to say these things? Sirius tried to talk to me about this yesterday and was mad I wouldn't tell him anything."

"I'm a girl, you tell me stuff. And I know how to get it out of you." Katy grinned at him. "Now stop changing the subject. If you still like Lily, why are you suddenly ignoring her?"

"I thought she didn't like me." He said, Katy was a bit confused by how this related, but went with it.

"No, she doesn't."

"So doesn't she hate it when I annoy her and talk to her and be near her in general?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Katy knew she was being blunt, but subtlety had been James' strong point.

"So shouldn't she like it better if I leave her alone?"

"Wow, James, I would never have guessed you would piece that together." Katy smiled at James. "So you're trying to get over someone who doesn't like you by hanging out with someone who does?" James half nodded. "As long as you don't hurt my sister." Katy warned him and walked away.

After a week and half since her conversation with James, came the news Katy had been anticipating and dreading. Her sister pulled her outside one weekend to inform her that James had asked her out. She was giddy with happiness as she told Katy that she was now James Potter's girlfriend. She then went skipping off, presumably to find her new boyfriend. Katy stood there, almost stunned that it was really happening for a few seconds before Mary walked up to her.

"What on earth happened to you? You look very weird."

"Thanks, Mary…" Katy grinned. "Lucie and James are going out." She said, it sounded weird to hear it with her own voice. "James is going out with my sister."

"What?" Mary exclaimed. "That's ridiculous. James is in love with Lily."

"Not anymore apparently. He told me a few weeks ago he was trying to get over her because she didn't like him back and it seemed pointless."

"Huh, never would have guessed James had it in him." Mary shrugged. "bet Lily's dancing for joy."

"I bet she is." Katy grinned.

"Does she know yet?" Mary asked.

"I don't think so… maybe we should tell her. That way we can she her begin her joy dance!" Katy laughed and ran off with Mary at her heels to find Lily. She wasn't in the common room and Aimy, who was working with Remus, said she wasn't in the dorm room.

"Maybe she's in the library?" Mary suggested and the two girls ran up to the library. Sure enough, there was Lily. "Oh no." Mary groaned. "Look who's with her." Snape was walking over to the table Lily was reading at. She looked up and smiled at him. He sat down and she closed her book. Katy and Mary watched as the two of them started talking.

"How does she have such a good time with him?" Katy asked. "He's always seemed rude to me."

"Oh well." Mary said quickly. "We just have to hope he leaves soon, because I don't want to have a conversation with him and there's no way he's going to agree to leave if we ask him."

"Then Lily will leave." Katy said and started walking over towards Lily and Snape.

"Katy, no!" Mary cried, but it was loud enough for Lily and Snape to hear. They looked up and had opposite reactions to the two approaching people. Lily looked pleased and Snape looked mad.

"Lily, we need to talk to you." Katy said, not acknowledging Snape at all. "Or, rather, we need to tell you something."

"What?" Lily asked brightly.

"Can you come over with us for a second?" Katy asked expectantly.

"Okay…" Lily followed her back to Mary looking confused. "What's going on."

"We just wanted to tell you something about James." Mary said, her mouth twitching upwards.

"Why?" Lily looked from Katy to Mary, questioningly. "Why would I care about him?"

"Well, it's just that, you know how you had been saying he wasn't really bothering you anymore?" Lily nodded so Katy continued. "Well, he's going out with Lucie." Katy finished really, really quickly waiting for the explosion of happiness.

"He's what with Lucie?" Lily asked in a high pitched voice, she didn't look like she believed it.

"Dating." Mary said firmly. "We just wanted to tell you so we could see your victory dance."

"Oh, well, thanks." Lily said distractedly and left the library in a happy hurry. Much to Katy's displeasure, Snape came up to them.

"What was that about?" He asked bluntly.

"Why should I tell you?" Katy glared at him.

"I don't know if your tiny head realized it, but I was having a conversation with my friend." He sneered at her. "And then you interrupted for you said would just be a second and now she's gone."

"Well, gee, sorry." Katy rolled her eyes and followed Mary out of the library. They found Lily sitting in the dorm room on her bed looking overjoyed.

"Having a nice day Lily?" Mary asked, grinning.

"Yup!" Lily smiled at them. "Come on, let's go get dinner." And she left the room. Much to Katy's uncomfort and Lily's obvious pleasure, Lucie sat with them at dinner, next to James. She was almost unbearably happy and while Katy was glad it made Lily so happy, seeing one of her best friends and her sister together was a little weird.

Two weeks into James and Lucie's relationship, Katy was ready to murder them both. She and her sister had always gotten along fine as kids, but they had changed when they got older and they both enjoyed not hanging out together very much at Hogwarts. Suddenly Lucie was an almost constant presence in Katy's everyday life. The weather was as miserable as the beginning of March always was and it reflected Katy's mood.

"I know it's not good to want two happy people to break up, but I sincerely hope they break up before summer." Katy said to Lily, Mary and Aimy one night in their dorm room. "I will not take it well if James comes over during the summer and it isn't to see me. I guess that's kind of selfish, but I don't care. I'm just going to be selfish here and say that he was my friend long before this and he had better not start dating my sister and then completely ignore me!" Katy was rather heated by the end of this little pronouncement.

"Yeah, that would be annoying." Mary agreed.

"Please don't tell me you are planning on breaking them up." Lily said, she almost looked scared, like she was afraid Katy had some terrible plan and was going to involve them all in it.

"Of course not! I just hope they see differences in each other soon and are able to end their relationship without a lot of yelling and screaming, because I don't want James to never come to my house again."

"Makes sense." Aimy nodded. "So what are you going to do? Sit back and watch them have a relationship and be unhappy about it?" She frowned. "Sounds like no fun at all."

"I am not going to weird stuff to make them break up, so I guess I'll just hang out with other people more. Try not to be with them too much." Katy shrugged, she wasn't hopeful about them breaking up; Lucie seemed overjoyed anytime she was with him and he always seemed happy around her. All things considered, Katy was very surprised when Lucie said they needed to talk.

"Katy? I really need to ask you something." Lucie said nervously.

"Okay, what's up, Luc?" Katy had no idea what this was about.

"It's about James," Lucie sat down, still very nervous. "Does he really like me?" She looked pleadingly at Katy who was quite taken aback.

"Why would you ask that? You're dating him! Of course he likes you." Katy frowned at her sister. However this answer did not seem to satisfy Lucie.

"Really? Because sometimes it seems like he still looks at Lily a lot." Lucie said sadly. "So I don't know…"

"I'll be right back." Katy smiled and walked over to James. "Are you using my sister?" She said fiercely.

"What? No." He looked confused.

"Then why is she asking me if you really like her and telling me you still look at Lily a lot?" Katy glared at him.

"I don't know! I do like her, I really do. And I am not still into Lily."

"You better not be." Katy frowned and went back to Lucie.

"What on earth was that about?" Lucie looked alarmed.

"If my sister is in trouble, I'm going to help her." Katy said firmly.

"Well, thanks I guess…" Lucie didn't really look like she meant it and smiled awkwardly at Katy and walked away. Katy did notice that this week was the first week since Lucie and James had started going out that they hadn't spent the entire evening together in the common room. Lucie had gone to sit with some her friends in her year and James was sitting with Sirius, Remus and Peter.

One morning in the beginning of June, Katy was woken up by a loud crash.

"What's going on?" She said groggily as she slowly pulled back her curtains and sat up?

"Ouch!" Came Lily's voice from behind her own curtains.

"What happened to you?" Katy asked in alarm when Lily opened the curtains and was sitting there scowling and rubbing her head.

"I had a bad dream and apparently I sat up really quickly in it and hit my head." Lily said, still scowling. While she found it very funny, Katy doubted that Lily would agree this was a good time to laugh and so tried to keep her mouth shut.

"What did you dream about?" She asked after decided she would blow up if she didn't say anything.

"Nothing." Lily said quietly after turning a very, very bright shade of red.

"Lily!" Katy said, she was by now quite awake and excited. "What did you dream about? It must have been something good!" She grinned, but Lily just turned a deeper shade of red and ignored her. Katy was completely mystified.

In the common room, things got even weirder. Lily was mostly back to her normal skin tone when she and Katy went downstairs and stayed normal for a little while when the two of them talked to Remus.

"Lily had a weird dream she won't tell me about." Katy was saying to an amused Remus and less amused Lily as James walked up.

"Come on, Evans, all good dreams must be shared." He smiled at Lily who turned the darkest shade of red she had been all morning. James looked thoroughly confused. "What did I do?" He looked at Katy and Remus.

"You didn't do anything. She always gets weird when you ask about her dream. I've tried a million times." Katy frowned. "But she won't let up."

"Okay…" James grinned. "Why won't you say anything about it? How about that Evans, is that an acceptable question?" James asked and Katy was quite excited to hear an answer to it.

Lily mumbled something that Katy thought might have been "it's about people we know" and knew at once that would make James want to hear it more. Katy definitely had her curiosity grow when she heard she might be in this very weird dream that Lily had.

"So we're in it?" James exclaimed. "Now you've got to tell us!" Lily frowned at him.

"I'm not telling _you_!" She said pointedly at him. On her way past him, she ran into Lucie, which seemed to make matters worse. Ever since Lucie had talked to Katy, she had been very wary of Lily and this morning she gave a very timid "hello" to which Lily responded with a very angry "good morning" and then stormed off to breakfast.

"Lily." Katy said, running to catch up with her. "If you won't tell me the dream, fine, but we need to talk about what it was. That was weird back there and it couldn't have been fun for you."

"Alright, fine!" Lily was really very upset. "I had a dream where I was getting married and I was walking up the aisle and then when I got to the front of the church, the person I was marrying was Potter and then he called me Lucie and then I turned into Lucie and then I woke up and sat up and hit my head and you know the rest." Katy was stunned. She didn't think Lily would ever have told her what was in her dream.

"Oh… okay, wow…" Katy didn't know what she was supposed to say, and was alarmed when her mouth began talking without the consent of her brain. "Do you like him now?"

"What? No! I don't think so. Why would I like him now?" Lily looked confused.

"Maybe you don't like him, you just got used to him and maybe you liked that he liked you and now you miss the attention he gave you?" Katy suggested.

"No, I don't miss that stupid attention and those stupid nicknames and how he would never leave me alone and how he was always talking to me and acting like an idiot around me." Lily frowned. "Of course I don't like him."

"Okay, Lily, you don't like him." Katy shrugged, completely convinced Lily did like him, but she thought it must be a subconscious liking or Lily wouldn't be so shaken up by her dream.

When everyone kept asking Lily about her dream at breakfast, it was really starting to get under Katy's skin.

"Will you guys just leave her alone?" She asked. "She doesn't want to tell." In her mind she added "with good reason" but decided that would just provoke more questions.

Thankfully, by the end of the day the dream had been mostly forgotten, except for by James who still wanted to know about it, but they all were just ignoring his constant pleas to know what it was and Lily had decided to get a new focus: exams.

"We should really start studying." Lily announced that night in the common room.

"You know, I think that is my least favorite sentence in the whole world." Mary groaned as Lily took out her books.

"Aimy, please help me convince them." Lily smiled and Aimy took out her books and notes from the year. "You too, Katy." Katy frowned, but decided not to argue.

"So what do we start with?" Mary asked doubtfully.

"Well it's much too loud to really study with books," Aimy began and Mary looked very hopeful. "so I think we should just practice things like Charms and Transfiguration." Mary looked a little disappointed, but she didn't seem to mind too much and Katy was glad they had decided to do the only part of homework and studying she found enjoyable.

The study session went by pretty easily, only interrupted by James begging to know the dream he was sure he was in about five times.

A few other groups of people had started studying, mainly fifth and seventh year students, but a few other adamant scholars had, like Lily, forced their friends into studying and most had made the same decision as Aimy had come up, and by the end of the evening, the common room was full of flying pillows and shrunken chairs and enlarged books and all manner of magically altered objects. Katy found herself stopping at one part of the evening and watching a fifth year student chasing a very angry cat around and it took her a little while to realize it wasn't a cat at all, but a Transfigured textbook which had run away.

By the week before exams, Katy felt like she had had all of the information drilled into her head so much by Lily that she wouldn't need to study anymore but clearly, Lily didn't agree. She had drawn out a plan for studying and two days before the first exam, Katy was ready to explode. She refused to study the day before exams started and also on the morning of her History of Magic exam. After that long, tedious afternoon in the test room, Katy was definitely ready to be outside in the summer air. She had found that after the first test, the rest always seemed easier and the rest of the exam week flew by.

Katy was sitting outside by herself staring into the lake after her last test when Lucie came up to her.

"Hey." Lucie said, and she had the same nervous voice she'd had last time she tried to have a serious conversation with Katy.

"Is something wrong?" Katy said, because on close inspection, Lucie looked sad.

"Well. I think James still likes Lily. A lot." Lucie frowned. "And Lily always seems mad at me these days, so maybe she likes him back."

"I had wondered the same thing." Katy said, she still wasn't sure where this was going.

"I think I'm going to break up with James." Lucie said firmly. Katy was surprised. She thought Lucie adored James and she was surprised she didn't feel a leap of joy when the thing she had been wishing for happened.

"Are… are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, I just wanted to tell you beforehand. But I'm going to do it before we go back home." Lucie smiled at her, a little sadly, and went back up to the school.

Lucie was true to her word. By the end of the day, James had come up to ask her if she knew why Lucie had broken up with him. Katy was pleased Lucie seemed okay with everything and suspected Lucie had known James still liked Lily the entire time and after a few months decided her childhood crush wasn't worth being with someone who liked someone else. Katy was also glad James wasn't too shattered and monumentally pleased when she saw James and Lucie saying hello to each other when they passed in the corridors and being completely civil with each other. That meant it would not be very, very weird for James to come over during the summer.

_So the summer stuff will be from Katy point of view, because some very big, important things are going to happen this summer. The only thing I will say at this point about summer is that it is going to have the first character death in it. _

_oh and also, i realized i didn't do anything with the fonts on the notes in the last chapter, so if you have already read that and were really really confused, i fixed it... sorry about that!_

_Lily_


	24. Chapter 23

_so i lied... no one dies directly in this chapter and while that won't make too much sense right now, it will later._

_anywho, onwards and upwards..._

Chapter 23  
_Katy_

Jason had already come home for a part of the summer when Katy and Lucie got home. He had his girlfriend with him and Katy was afraid her mother would make that extremely awkward. On the car ride home, her dad told her the girlfriend was named Grace and that she was a nice girl. Katy and Lucie exchanged a look that clearly said their dad didn't think Grace was good enough for his only son or he would have more to say about her than that she was a nice girl.

Upon entering the kitchen, Katy's entire world went black as she was crushed by her mother.

"Mum! You're hurting me, calm down. We're all just fine." Katy said, pushing her mother back. She was pleased to receive nothing more than a smile from her mother as Mrs. Cupit went on to crush Lucie.

"Hey, Jason." Katy smiled and hugged her brother as he walked into the kitchen followed by a petite redheaded girl.

"Hey, Kate, Lucie." Jason grinned at both of them. "This is Grace" he said, introducing the redhead. Katy smiled and sort of waved at Grace and then began lugging her things up the stairs to her bedroom.

She sat down on her bed, not sure if she was glad to be back or not. She did enjoy coming into her room, but part of her would rather be at school with all her friends. She got her things unpacked in about an hour and was just finishing when she was called down to dinner.

Mrs. Cupit had prepared enough food to feed a small army, there was by far too much for the six people currently staying at Katy's house. And so Katy was not altogether surprised when she saw the three Potters walking up the driveway towards the house.

"Long time no see." James grinned at Katy and smiled a sort of awkward greeting to Lucie who smiled back.

"Yeah… real long time." Katy giggled, glad to be around James. Her mother was so ridiculously happy to have her and Lucie back that it was a bit unnerving to be near her too long and hanging out with James was the perfect way to not have to do that.

Dinner was the loud, rowdy affair it always was when the two families ate together. They were all still sitting in the backyard at 11:30 when Katy started feeling sort of tired. Lucie was also starting to droop, but James, ever full of energy, was still ready to keep going until the end of time. Mrs. Potter decided it was time to leave when she saw Katy and Lucie leaning on each other, half asleep but still trying to keep up a conversation.

"Anne, I think I need to take my son home. He seems to keeping the girls awake against their will." Mrs. Potter said, standing up.

"No, we're fine, Mum!" Lucie said, jumping up and almost immediately falling down again.

"I think that's pretty solid conformation you should be going to sleep now, love." Mrs. Cupit responded, smiling at her daughters. Even being rather tired, Katy was always amazed at how quickly her mother and Mrs. Potter could get things cleaned up and get people moving. In what seemed like less than five minutes, Mrs. Potter had both James and Mr. Potter standing by the door holding plates of leftover food Mrs. Cupit had handed them. Katy waved goodbye to them and decided not to argue when her mother began pointing at the stairs while looking directly at her and Lucie.

About a week after Katy and Lucie had gotten home, Katy was pleased that her mother had relaxed a bit and was more welcome to idea of Katy going to see friends during the summer. Katy didn't have any plans, but she was not interested in spending her entire summer in her house.

Katy was insanely jealous of Lucie when her father announced he was taking Lucie with him on a trip he had to go on for work. Mr. Wood worked for the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry of Magic and so was constantly being sent off on business trips.

Katy knew that Lucie had never gotten to go on one of these trips before, but she was worried that with Lucie going to be gone and Jason and Grace leaving about a week after her dad and sister, there was a good chance her mother would lose her willingness to let Katy out of her sight.

On the morning of Lucie and Mr. Wood's departure, Katy's house was a flurry of activity. Mrs. Cupit was determined to find some way she could help the operation, and unfortunately decided that was to unpack all of what Lucie had packed to make sure she had everything she would need.

After many hugs goodbye, Katy followed her far too sad mother back into the house.

"What's the matter, Mum?" Katy asked. "They'll be back in three weeks."

"I'm just so afraid something's going to happen to them. Or to us, or to somebody we know, and they'll be gone." Mrs. Cupit sighed as she sat down on the couch. "So many people have disappeared this year." Katy cut her mother off, she hadn't heard about any disappearences.

"What do you mean? I didn't know anyone disappeared this year." She said frowning.

"Almost a dozen people were wiped off the face of this earth and haven't been found, Katy." Mrs. Cupit said sharply. "Why don't you pay attention to what goes on outside of Hogwarts?"

"Because I don't get the newspaper." Katy said, hoping she and her mother wouldn't resume the argument they had gotten into last summer.

"Well, it's good to know what's going on. Now shouldn't they be at the hotel by now?" Mrs. Cupit said anxiously. "I never should have agreed to let Lucie go on this trip. I should never have let my baby girl out of my sight." She started pacing and Katy's heart sank. There was almost no way she could imagine her mother being convinced to let her go anywhere now.

Later that afternoon, Mrs. Potter and James came over. Katy and James went outside and their mothers stayed in the house, chatting.

"Katy, do you think you would be allowed to leave for a few days? I got a letter from Mary, with one for you inside it too," James pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to Katy. "and her parents are taking her camping but she's allowed to bring some friends and she was hoping you, me and Remus could come."

"Why not anyone else?" Katy was confused.

"Well, in my letter it said she doubted Sirius' parents would let him leave and Aimy and Lily would be on holiday for that weekend."

"When is it?" Katy asked.

"Next weekend, it's two nights and three days, and if it will help your mum go for it, she's got a separate tent for Remus and I and for you and her." James grinned.

"I hope my mum wouldn't be worried about anything happening, but apparently our mums are planning our wedding so maybe they would." James made a face as she said that.

"They think you and I are going to get married?" He grimaced. "Yuck."

"Thanks James." Katy laughed. "That really helps my self esteem. Now let's go ask. Wait, what did your mum say?"

"Haven't asked yet. I thought we could ask together." James said, leading the way back into the house.

"Mum, I've got something to ask you. Same with James." Katy said, as she entered the living room where her mother and Mrs. Potter were talking.

"What's up, dear?" Mrs. Cupit smiled at her.

"Mary's invited us to go camping with her." Katy said and when both mothers looked alarmed she quickly added to that statement. "Her parents will be there and we won't be sleeping in the same tent as James." This relaxed them both a bit.

"I suppose you might. When is it?" Mrs. Cupit asked nervously.

"Next weekend." James answered.

"It's alright with me." Mrs. Potter said and Mrs. Cupit slowly nodded her assent.

"Yes!" James grinned. "We should write her back, saying we can come." And they ran upstairs to write a letter to Mary.

On the morning of the trip, Mrs. Cupit was again, trying to keep herself busy. Jason and Grace were leaving the next day and Mrs. Cupit seemed determined not to let anyone think she was sad. Katy thought she was doing a rather poor job of it.

Katy dragged her bags down the road to James' house to wait for Mary. Her mother followed in a few minutes, hurrying distractedly down the road.

Mary, her parents and Remus were all already at James' house. Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald were having a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Potter and James, Remus and Mary were sitting on the porch talking. Katy dumped her bags by the pile of bags she supposed belonged to everyone else and joined the other three on the porch. Her mum came around the turn soon and went quickly in the house to join the adults.

After an hour of the adults discussing what time they would be back home, they all came out of the house and those who were leaving went and grabbed their bags from the pile.

"Katy," Mrs. Cupit came up and gave Katy a bone-crushing hug. "I'll miss you, love." Katy was surprised to see tears in her mother eyes.

"Mum relax. Lucie and Dad will be home soon, and Jason's not going anywhere till tomorrow evening." You can make it two days without us, I promise." Katy frowned at her mother. "Honest." She added, because Mrs. Cupit didn't look like she believed her. Katy shrugged and waved goodbye to her mother and walked back over to where Mary was standing with Remus and her parents. James was still trying to get away from his parents and after a few more minutes, he joined them. Mrs. Macdonald had Mary and Katy each hold on tightly to one of her arms and Mr. Macdonald had James and Remus do the same. Katy took a deep breath and held it, waiting to be squeezed through a rubber tube that was much too small for her body. When the sensation came, it was just as unsettling as always. When she opened her eyes and let out her breath she found herself in a clearing of a pretty little wood. She grinned, this was going to be fun.

"Now you four find somewhere to put your tents, if you're going to stay up late, make sure your tents are far enough from ours it won't keep us awake." Mrs. Macdonald said smiling at them. Katy grinned at Mary, she had a very cool mum. The four of the, tromped a little ways off and found a smaller clearing where they decided to put up their tents.

"Alright, does anyone know how to do this?" James frowned at the tents lying on the ground.

"No…" Katy said, frowning. Remus and Mary both shook their heads. "So let's go ask." She led the way back to the main clearing where Mary's parents had their tent all set up and were talking about what to make for dinner.

"Hey, Mum." Mary called over to her mother. "How'd you get your tent up?" Mrs. Macdonald smiled and twirled her wand.

"Can you come help us with ours then? We aren't allowed to do magic yet, you know that." Mary asked. Her mother laughed and followed them back to their tents. With a wave of her wand she had the two tents up and went back to the main camp.

Katy followed Mary into the tent and was not surprised to find it very untentlike inside. There was a small sitting room when you first went in, and behind that a bedroom with two twin beds and a bathroom going off of it.

"This is perfect!" Katy said and Mary grinned back at her.

"Isn't it? Makes being out in the dirt bearable." Mary said giggling. The two of them went back outside and found that the boys were still in their tent. They went inside and found an identical interior. Remus and James were setting their stuff on the beds, having apparently just been arguing about who got which bed. Katy smirked, wasn't it usually girls who were supposed to argue about that?

That evening sitting around the campfire was some of the most fun Katy had had that she could remember. They toasted bread with cheese on it and then later in the night they roasted marshmallows.

That night, back in the smaller clearing, the four of them were sitting around a campfire that had a charm on it so it wouldn't get any bigger than it was. Mary's parents had done this so that they wouldn't feel worried about letting them have a fire.

"I've never been camping before." Remus said thoughtfully while he sipped his hot chocolate.

"James and I have only been once." Mary grinned. "Our families went together and never went again." She giggled. "I think we were six or seven."

"Oh, Merlin, what did you two do?" Mary giggled and then began coughing her whip cream all over the place.

"Well," James began, his usual mischievous grin forming. "My mum didn't let me have marshmallows and hot chocolate for dinner and I thought that wasn't fair."

"Wait, that's why you made me help you? That's really dumb reason, James." Katy rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," James said, playfully ignoring Katy. "I wanted to get back at my mum, and I knew that sometimes if I concentrated hard enough on something I could make it blow up, and right now I will say I didn't mean to blow up what I did, but I was trying to make the lamp that was on the table explode cause I knew it would make a cool noise, and I wanted to prank my parents, so I convinced Kate to pull the stakes out of their tent while I tried to blow up the lamp, only I ended up exploding the table…" James frowned. "That was bad."

"It… was so… so funny!" Katy was laughing so hard she could barely talk. "The lo…look on your mums… face was priceless!" Mary and Remus were both laughing too.

"Merlin you must have been a trying child." Mary giggled.

"I don't think 'trying' is enough to describe anything about James." Remus said, laughing.

"So what happened?" Mary asked.

"Well, the tent came crashing down on the Potter's and you know how when you take one of these tents down, it just goes back to being like a regular muggle tent, just a few sheets of canvas? Well it did that, and I imagine that was rather surprising, anyway between the tent collapsing and the loud, loud boom that James made, my parents, Jason, Lucie and James' parents all came running out of their tents. Well, James' parents sort of tumbled out of their tent because there wasn't really room for the both of them inside it anymore. Anyway, I had sort of 

tried to run back to the tent James and I were in and I'd tripped, so when the four adults all lit up their wands, they must have gotten a very weird scene. From what I remember I was lying on the ground about two feet away from the Potter's tent and James was standing, completely shocked, by the table he had just blown up and all the very tired parents were, let's say, not pleased." Katy said, giggling through her whole explanation.

"Wow… remind me to keep an eye on you two while we're on this trip then." Mary said.

"Do you go camping a lot, then Mary?" Remus asked.

"We got at least once a year." Mary said. "My mum and dad love being outside. As soon as the weather is remotely nice, my mum starts cooking outside and we eat in the back yard."

"We eat outside sometimes, mostly when we have other people over." Katy said.

"We eat outside when we go eat at Katy's house." James grinned.

"My family eats outside sometimes, but we don't have people over very often. Katy saw James and Remus exchange a look and she suddenly remembered the plan to help Remus, but didn't know how this had anything to do with it.

"Anyone know what time it is?" Katy asked. She hadn't owned a watch since she was six years old and lost it in the creek near her house. After that she decided she didn't want one anymore.

"Midnight." Mary said looking first at her watch and then up at the sky. "I love stars." She smiled.

"I've always liked the moon better." Katy said, glancing upwards as well. "When it's so big and round, full moon are so pretty." She looked around at the three of them, Mary was smiling at the sky, James was looking nervous and Remus was looking at the ground. "What did I do?" She asked.

"Nothing." James said much too quickly. "You like moons, continue."

"Okay…" She looked questioningly at him, but he wouldn't make eye contact and started staring at the sky. "Um, I like the moon like this too, when it's just a small little piece in the sky." She noticed Remus was rubbing his side painfully as she said this and suddenly felt so bad for him, whatever sickness he had, it seemed like it never went away.

When Katy woke up the next morning it took her a few minutes to remember where she was. She was in a strange room and strange bed, but she soon remembered the camping trip.

She decided she did not need to get dressed and went out to the still merrily crackling campfire. She smiled when she saw it, she knew regular muggle fires would smolder out in the night and hoped no muggles had come by and wondered about it.

She got her answer in a rough way when she got to the main campsite, there were two people who she assumed were muggles in an argument with Mary's parents.

"You really should know better than to leave a fire that young going all through the night!" the muggle man was saying angrily.

"Well, there didn't seem to be any problem, so I don't understand the big deal." Mrs. Macdonald said. "We won't do it again."

"I hope not, or we'll call the rangers on you." the woman said. Katy could tell Mary's parents wanted to give back a snappy retort but neither of them seemed to know what 'rangers' were and so were at a loss on how to respond.

"It was our fault." Katy intervened. "We went to bed thinking the fire would blow itself out." She stepped up and the man's eyes began popping.

"You let that fire around teenagers and just left them alone and didn't tell them to expressly make sure it was out before they went to bed?!" he was practically shouting by now.

"Katy please, don't get into this." Mrs. Macdonald said, almost pushing Katy over toward the table they had brought.

The muggle woman seemed to be paying more attention to Katy by now. She was watching what she must have thought was the daughter of these two people being sent over to make breakfast only Katy took one look at the cooking area, was completely mystified and sat down. She knew she wasn't allowed to use her wand yet and there were two muggles right there, so she hoped they didn't try to become friends and stay for breakfast because that would be rather awkward.

"Wait a moment." The woman said. "That looks a lot like our kitchen table at home. It doesn't look like it folds up. However did you get it here? And where's your car?" She looked around. Katy didn't know how to answer to that, so she was glad when Mr. Macdonald did for her.

"We hiked in." He said, but Katy was worried. He said it with the tone of voice most wizards have when they are just repeating things they have heard muggles say, but they don't really know what it means.

"Where on earth did you like in from?" the man asked, clearly confused. He began scanning the horizon.

"Over there." Mr. Macdonald said, pointing in a random direction.

"But the nearest road in that direction is miles away." The woman said, she clearly didn't believe them. "And with an unfoldable, solid wood table, that's quite an endeavor."

"Well, we hike a lot." Mrs. Macdonald said. "Now if you will excuse us, we really need to be getting breakfast cooked. And I want to take a shower."

"A shower? But there's no running water here!" The man protested.

"Yes I know!" Mrs. Macdonald had a pretty quick recovery. "I just so wish I could shower." That seemed to satisfy the muggles who started to leave. However as they got the edge of the campsite, they looked back and shook their heads and Katy clearly heard them muttering something about "absolute weirdo's" and "not quite right" but she didn't care.

They spent the rest of the day exploring the area around where they were camping and James located a nice little swimming hole. They all ran back to camp and got their swim suits, changed 

and ran back to the swimming hole and spent the afternoon creating a sort of contest for who could dive in the coolest way off a big rock.

Katy almost questioned Remus for a long time about why he decided to wear a t-shirt but then changed her mind and decided to just have a good time.

By the end of the day, James had won the competition and was very proud of himself for that particular feat and crowned himself champion of the world with a bunch of leaves he pulled off a bush.

"Better hope that's not poison ivy." Remus said, Katy could tell he was just trying to scare James, and it sure worked. James yanked the crown off his head and threw in onto the ground.

"Yuck!" He grimaced and Remus burst out laughing. They all tried to eat dinner fast that evening because they were getting a very long description of the all day hike Mary's parents had gone on and none of them wanted to hear it.

"Mum, I think we're going to go back to our campsite. Is there any way we can put out our fire before we go to bed so the muggles don't get mad again?" Katy had told Mary, James and Remus what had happened before they woke up.

"Nah, we'll just change the charm so it smolders out like a muggle fire." Mrs. Macdonald followed the four of them to their campsite and gave them a fire. She smiled, said goodnight and walked away into the darkness.

The next morning was Sunday and Mr. Macdonald always took the Sunday paper, and had told the family owl how to find them, so when Katy and Remus, who were up before James and Mary, went into the main campsite, Mr. Macdonald was sitting there, frowning at his newspaper.

"Anything wrong, dear?" Mrs. Macdonald asked. "Oh, good morning, Katy, Remus." She smiled at them and pointed towards an assortment of tea much too large for a regular camping trip. Katy grinned and began getting her tea ready.

"Apparently there's been more disappearences this week. And they've got a list of everyone they think is in particular danger. It says at the top that if you aren't on the list it doesn't mean you aren't in danger but the people on the list are just in more danger."

"Well who's on the list?" Mrs. Macdonald asked nervously.

"The sort of people you'd expect with this Lord Voldemort person around."

"Ugh, I hate that name." Mrs. Macdonald shuttered. "Well h-what kind of people is it?"

"Muggleborns," Katy looked up, that meant Lily. "Aurors, you know, people who not be willing to help him and the sort of people he hates. What is that?" Mr. Macdonald frowned at the bottom of what must have been the list he was reading. "It says 'the two remaining Cupits'" he frowned. "I thought there were three of you."

"There are." Katy said, dismissing any worry that sparked in her. "Must be a typo. Not very many people really know, I've heard some people think there's still loads of Cupits, they just all changed their names when they got married or moved away."

"That's odd. Why do they think your family is in such danger?" Remus asked.

"Well my mum says it's because of who we are, and that Lord What-his-name is all about hating people and not being worthy and so he wouldn't be too keen on our family, and I guess the _Daily Prophet_ shares that opinion."

"Do you lot have anything planned for today?" Mr. Macdonald asked Katy and Remus.

"No, why?" Remus asked.

"Well, we didn't know there were other people camping around here, so we thought we could all go check it out. Maybe there are more campsites nearby." Mrs. Macdonald said, coming over to them. Katy was too excited but thought they should do it because they had been invited along.

"Yeah, okay." Remus seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

By the time they had all eaten breakfast and packed up their things, because after the walk, they would be Appirating home, it was almost noon. They starting tramping through the forest in the direction the muggles from the previous day had gone. After about ten minutes they were surprised to find a whole muggle campground. There was a little road going through it and small campsites on each side of it, in a little loop with a main road going out towards the highway.

"…some sort of weird fireworks display above the house." Katy heard someone say and was intrigued enough to stop and listen. The others looked questioningly at her but she just motioned for them to be quiet and also listen.

"What do you mean? It's not any holiday, why would there be fireworks?" Another person was saying.

"That's just it, Bill, I don't know." The first man said. "And it wasn't like regular fireworks, it was like a picture projected in the sky." Katy froze; she really hoped they weren't talking about what she was afraid they were talking about. She glanced at the rest of her group and saw they were all thinking the same thing she was.

"But that's impossible," Bill scoffed. "You can't just shoot a picture up into the sky. What was it?"

"I don't really know. It looked sort of like a face; only the tongue was really long and kept moving." The first man said thoughtfully. "Maybe it was snake of some sort, but that doesn't explain why it was coming out of a face." Katy was sure these muggles were discussing what was being whispered about, a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth that was left above a building when Lord Voldemort and his so called Death Eaters went there and killed somebody.

She glanced up at Mr. and Mrs. Macdonald who were both rather pale and the motioned everyone over into an empty campsite.

"Do they mean the skull and snake thing?" Mary asked quickly, fear in her eyes.

"They must be, and if muggles are seeing it, it must not be a rumor." Mr. Macdonald said with the same fear in his own eyes.

"Do you think we should leave now, then?" Mrs. Macdonald asked her husband, who nodded.

"Yes, if Lord Voldemort-" He was cut off by Mrs. Macdonald shuttering.

"I just hate that name, it sounds like death." She shivered.

"Well, if… he, is killing people I suppose we need to go back and make sure our families are safe." He thought for a moment. "Although perhaps we're all much safer if we stay here."

"No!" Katy said fiercely. "I have to be home as soon as I can. This is what my mum has been worried about, and if she sees that typo in the paper, she'll think either me or Lucie has been killed and she'll worry herself almost to death. She was already worried about letting Lucie go off with Dad and letting me go camping, so I need to go. But if you all want to stay here, could someone please Appirate me back home?"

"You know, I think Katy's right, our families will worry more if we don't come back." Mr. Macdonald said. "Alright, everyone, let's head back to our camp and get going."

The walk back to camp was silent, no one said anything because what could anyone say? Everyone was hoping and praying that it was not people they knew that had sparked this new amount of fear and caution in the _Daily Prophet_. The only noise was when someone stepped on a twig and the snapping of twigs caused everyone in the party to jump and looked fearfully around.

They got back to camp and everyone poked around their stuff for a little while trying to decide if it had been messed with. After they were successfully sure that there was no one around, muggle or wizard, they got their things and Appirated back to the Potter's house just like they had agreed. After being sucked out of the tube, Katy heard nothing and kept her eyes shut tight, trying to convince herself the dead silence was absolutely normal and not believing it a bit.

_Oh i just love cliffhangers! hehe..._

_now hopefully the comment at the beginning of the chapter will make more sense!_

_but no time for chit chats, got to go write!_

_Lily_

_p.s. i do love reviews! and i don't have everything for this story fully mapped out, just the general idea and direction it will go, so if you have any ideas, or like prank ideas, i know i havn't really mentioned very many pranks, but if anyone thinks of anything at all, i would love to hear it!_

_also... i'm about to go away for like four days and have no internet so unless i get the next chapter up today (highly unlikely) then it will probably be monday or tuesday before i do. oh an i don't think i'm going to be making any changes to chapter 15 (the fake chapter)._


	25. Chapter 24

_dun dun dooonnnn... the next peice of the puzzle! well no, that makes it sound like you won't find the answer in this chapter, and you will!_

_oh and also! Taylor: i'm glad you like the story so much, i rather enjoy writing it! I am planning on having all of the memories that involve Hogwarts from _The Prince's Tale_ and i have not yet decided if i will rewrite them a bit or just make them bold and copy them in so that no one can say i am plagerizing... also, i do sadly have to report i will be killing James and Lily, and i doubt i will get far enough to even introduce Tonks, let alone kill her. Most of my characters are going to die before Harry turns 2 so i don't know who i would continue it about... well, i guess not all of them, but we know Sirius goes to jail and we know Remus goes off and is sad and not having a job for most of the time, and you don't know anything about Mary or Aimy (but i do! hahahhahaha) and i have a pretty good idea about the fate that awaits my dear little star of the story. Well, that's also sort of a lie, i have two fates for katy and i havn't yet decided which one the story will use... although neither are exactly how i would want my life to go... anyway if i keep talking i'll give away the story and tell you that i'm planning on killing everyone in a huge, colorful, gruesome batter. oh wait... shucks :D_

Chapter 24  
_Katy_

Katy didn't dare open her eyes. She was afraid she would be facing a smoldering ruin of the Potter's house. It was just too quiet. Then there was a shriek.

"James!" Mrs. Potter's voice came and Katy opened her eyes out of pure shock. There was Mrs. Potter being followed out of the perfectly intact house by Mr. Potter. She ran over to James and began hugging him like she would never get to again. Katy smiled at her and Mrs. Potter looked at her and tears began pouring out of her eyes. She moved like in a dream over and starting hugging Katy. Katy felt the tears coming too, even though she didn't know why. Mrs. Potter was sobbing "oh, Katy" and "I'm so sorry" over and over and Katy was paralyzed with fear. Eventually Mrs. Potter let her go and Katy's heart leapt momentarily when her father came running out of the Potter's house closely followed by Lucie and Jason.

"Where's Mum?" She said, her whole body started shaking. And she saw the newspaper in her mind, "the two remaining Cupits" it had said. No, this was a dream, a very bad dream. "Where is Mum?" She repeated and Lucie looked up at her, through eyes swimming with tears and shook her head. Katy let out a strangled croak of pain and collapsed in the ground, sobbing her eyes out.

Katy could feel ten pairs of eyes staring at her as she cried on the Potter's front lawn but she didn't care. There was a small part of her that still didn't believe it, that still thought it was a bad dream and she had to be sure. Without saying a word, Katy got up and started running up the road. She ran and ran and when she finally turned the bend in the road that let her see her house, she felt a physical blow to her chest and fell backward on the road. Where her house used to be was a pile of faintly smoking wood. She could see her own bed, balanced precariously on the kitchen stove where it had fallen through the floor. She could see what used to be the fireplace, sticking awkwardly out of the ruins of the living room; the couch that used to sit on the floor next to it, was leaning upside down against it.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Remus standing there. She was surprised he was the one to join her, but not upset. She didn't think she could face her family right then. Remus didn't say anything; he just sat down next to her and let her cry. She appreciated his presence; it was nice to have someone with her. It was even nicer he didn't feel the need to talk. She was staring at what was once her house, and she was starting to fade in and out of being awake. Remus apparently noticed this and when Katy started slumping over, having cried herself to sleep, he wrapped his arms around her and let her sleep leaning on him.

Katy woke up leaning against someone she wasn't immediately sure she knew. She sat up much too quickly and fell back over but first she caught a glance at Remus and was no longer afraid of who was with her. She immediately remembered what the horrific pain she was feeling was for and turned back to look at her house. She found herself trying to convince herself that if she stared hard enough at the house it would put itself back together and her mum would come running out of it, happily welcoming her home.

"Remus?" Katy said after a while of the both of them sitting on the ground. "I didn't even tell her I loved her when I left." Katy said, fresh tears on her face. "All I told her was that none of us 

were going to be hurt and not to worry. And I said she would make it without us for a few days." Remus looked at Katy and Katy saw tears in his own eyes. "I lied to her, Remus. The last thing I told her was a lie."

"She knows you love her, Kate." Remus said and he hugged her.

"But I never said it!" Katy wailed. "I was mad at her all year, because she wanted to protect me! And I never thanked her for caring about me, or told her I loved her."

* * *

The next morning, her mother's death had started sinking in. Katy woke up in the Potter's spare room with her sister sleeping next to her. She frowned down at her sister and then hated herself for it. She didn't know why she was upset with Lucie, but she was. Perhaps it was because Lucie had known first and there was a part of Katy that felt like her family should have sent her an owl telling her to come home the moment they found out. Katy quietly slipped out of bed and went downstairs. Mrs. Potter was the only other person awake and Katy realized it was seven in the morning. That was the earliest she had gotten up by choice in many years.

"Good morning, Mrs. Potter." She said dully. Mrs. Potter jumped at her voice.

"Oh, Katy, I'm sorry about that, I've been so jumpy lately, since…" she trailed off and turned away from Katy. Suddenly there was a question in Katy's mind she needed answered, and she thought Mrs. Potter might know the answer.

"What happened to my mother?" She asked, knowing she wouldn't want to hear the answer, but she felt like she needed to know.

"You really want to know that?" Mrs. Potter raised her eyebrows. "Lucie said in no circumstance did she want to be told." She came and sat at the table with Katy. "I don't really know exactly what happened, I wasn't there. But from what I understand, and you should ask Jason, he knows more than I do. Anyway, I guess it was when Jason and Grace were leaving and Grace had already flooed and Jason was just saying goodbye and stepping into the fire place. He said he had already thrown the powder and said his destination and was starting to spin when he is quite sure he saw dark shapes in the room with his mother. As soon as he got out at the other end he flooed back and by then he says he saw your mother dead in the living room and the house was quickly falling apart." Mrs. Potter said slowly, glancing up at Katy throughout the story as if to see if she was going to try to stop her from finishing it. Katy knew she was crying while Mrs. Potter spoke but she was not going to stop her from talking. She needed to know how her mother's life had ended.

"Thank you." She croaked and stared down at the cup of tea Mrs. Potter had placed in front of her. "When was it?" She looked up again.

"Saturday evening, around eight, I guess. It was eight thirty when Jason came running over here and had me come over to your house. That was the scariest moment of my life."

"And was there the… the snake thing?" Katy asked, knowing the answer and desperately hoping she was wrong.

"The Dark Mark?" Mrs. Potter shuddered. "Yes, and it is truly the most terrifying thing in the entire world."

"Thank you." Katy said again and left the kitchen.

She went back up the road but this time didn't stop when she saw the house, she went right up to it. She found Lucie's bed in the front yard next to the upstairs bathroom sink. She passed all the rubble and broken furniture in the front yard and went in the still swinging front door that was all that remained of that section of the front wall of the house. She entered the remains of the front hallway and tried to go in the living room, but couldn't because there was a bureau that had fallen through the ceiling out of Jason's room blocking the door. Katy went back outside and realized she could enter the living room directly from the front yard because its outer wall was a pile of wood. She could see the fireplace that Jason had escaped in. Even though she knew it wasn't really an escape, but if Jason and Grace had been leaving even seconds later, they would both be dead too. She stared all over the living room looking for a sign of her mother and she did find something. Katy practically ran over to her mother's rocking chair where her wand was lying, half hidden under a pillow and Katy wondered if her mother was even holding her wand when the Death Eaters came to her house. She picked up the wand and if felt warm in her hand. She knew she was imagining the warmth, but it felt nice to be clutching something her mother had held so many times.

To her immense surprise, her mother's owl came flying into the living room through the same gaping hole in the wall Katy had come through. Mrs. Cupit had named the owl Cupid when she heard the muggle story, laughing hard as she decided on it. Katy smiled at the owl as she remembered her mother's happy face. It took Katy a few minutes to realize the owl had a scroll attached to her leg. She took it off and found a letter from Lucie.

_Mum,_

_Dad and I are going to come home earlier than we thought  
because there are all these new rumors about disappearances  
every day and Dad thinks we ought to be home._

_Love,  
Lucie_

Katy felt a surge of happiness that her sister had written this letter, and then the happiness left when she realized her mother had never gotten this little gem of hope. Katy knew it would have made her much happier to know her husband and daughter were coming home soon.

Katy sat in her mother's rocking chair trying to convince herself that she could still smell her mother in the chair and never stopped tightly gripping the wand. As she sat in the chair, she tried to remember all she could of her mother so that she would never forget. She remembered when she was seven and Lucie was six and the two of them decided to rearrange the living room as a welcome home surprise for their mother. She remembered playing hide and seek with her mother and how up until she was six or seven she always hid in exactly the same spot but her mother would pretend she didn't know where Katy was. Katy remembered her mum giving her and Jason a lecture about running in the house after a tag game was moved indoors resulting in the breaking of a flower vase.

After sitting in the rocking chair for two hours, Katy realized her face was wet, she had been crying as she remembered her mother, without noticing. She felt better after sitting in the living room with her memories and thoughts and got up. As she left the ruins of her house she told herself she wouldn't come back. She wouldn't walk up the road to the house anymore; she didn't want to force herself to see an image of this broken house when she thought of her mother now that she clearly had in her mind happy images of her mother.

She had by no means come to terms with her mother's death, only come to terms with how to deal with her grief. She knew that coming to the house would just create anger and sadness and that wasn't what she wanted to associate her mother with. She decided the best thing would be to take the wand with her and on her way out she changed her mind and began pulling the rocking chair out of the living room, the wand tucked in her pocket. She lugged the chair all the way down the road and left it on the front lawn of the Potter's house.

"Katy!" Her father said, as soon as she walked inside. "Katy please don't disappear like that."

"I went to our house." Katy said. "I just needed to say goodbye to Mum. And I found her wand; I thought we could keep it." Katy held it up and then handed it to her father who took it gratefully. "And I also brought back her chair." The adults all looked at her funny when she said this. James, Lucie and Jason were somewhere else. "Because I want to keep it. And have it when I have my own children. Is that okay, Dad?" She looked at her dad who smiled.

"Of course you can have it, Kate. Where is the chair?" He said looking around.

"On the front lawn." Katy smiled.

"Why don't we bring it in here? We can keep it here until you find a place for it, or until you get married and have kids." Mrs. Potter said, smiling when she said the bit about getting married and Katy knew she had clearly not given up on the idea of Katy and James getting married.

"If you're looking for James and your brother and sister, I believe they are in the back yard." Mr. Potter said to Katy. She smiled her thanks and left the room.

"What were you doing this morning?" Jason said when Katy got outside. "I saw you walking up the road at like 7:45, and it's after 10 now!"

"Sorry, apparently I scared everyone." Katy said. "I went home for a bit." She said sadly, realizing that place was no longer home as she couldn't very well live in it.

"Why on earth would you go there?" Lucie asked. "You couldn't pay me enough to go back to our house. I saw it once already and once was plenty."

"I got Mum's wand and her rocking chair." Katy said and Lucie gaped at her.

"You brought her rocking chair all the way down the road?" She asked and Katy nodded.

"You have her wand?" Jason asked. "Can I see it?" He added, both eager and scared.

"Dad's got it. I thought he should have it." Katy answered.

"Yeah, that makes sense." Jason said.

"Do you know what is going to happen, like for a funeral or something?" Katy asked timidly. She wasn't sure she would be able to make it through a funeral; that would make it far too final.

"I think they're going to have a funeral next week." Jason said.

"Jason, can I talk to you over here for a second?" Katy asked, pulling him out of Lucie's ear shot. "What about her body? What happened to it?"

"It's at a funeral home." Jason said sadly. "And nothing really happened to it, we don't know who killed her, but it seems they wanted to make it quick and painless, just the" he glared at the ground. "Killing Curse and then they did something to the house so that it would fall apart and left. So she isn't wounded or cut or anything if that's what you were wondering about." Katy tried to block out what she had just heard, she was trying not to think about the bad parts of her mother's life, she wanted no bad, painful memories of her mother and this was not helping.

"Thanks." She said quickly and flew back to the table where Lucie and James were sitting silently.

* * *

That evening, she was surprised to see Cupid, her mother's owl. She smiled every time she thought about the owl, come flying in the house with a letter. She landed in front of Katy and stuck her leg out to her. Katy had a good idea of what would be in the letter when she saw it was from Lily. She didn't know if she was in the mood for a letters of sympathy and condolences, but she decided to open it anyway.

_Katy,_

_I hope you've had a good summer so far. Or at least for as much of the summer as you could. I've just gotten a letter from Mary and she told me what happened. I don't know what I'm supposed to put in a letter like this, I just felt like I had to write you. My mum says when someone dies you are supposed to write a letter saying you're sorry and you feel the pain, but I think that's all a lie. I cannot imagine the pain you're going through so I'm not going to pretend I can. I would like to be able to see you this summer, and I hope you know you can always call me, no never mind, you haven't got a phone. Write me anytime you like though._

_Also, I know this is off topic and perhaps inappropriate, but who is this owl? I was just wondering how I would send this letter and this owl showed up, and started holding out her foot while standing next to this letter and so I told her Katy Cupit and she just hooted at me and flew out without waiting for your address or anything so I hope you are the one reading this._

_Katy I miss you and I hope I can see you before school starts,  
Lily_

Katy smiled as she finished reading the letter. She knew she had to keep her mind off what was going on around her as it seemed her dad and James' parents were planning the funeral and she didn't want to help with that at all. The way she decided to occupy herself was to respond to 

Lily's letter. She went upstairs and reread the letter, trying to figure out how to respond without sounding fake.

_Lily,_

_Thank you for your letter, it was just what I needed. And I do agree with you about how it's hard to write "I feel your pain" when you know you don't._

_I would definitely be interested in seeing you because I don't know how much longer I can stay here without cracking. And if you're wondering where here is, I am staying at James' house with my dad and brother and sister for a little while because they live right down the road from us._

_The owl is my mother's old owl, she calls her Cupid because she thinks she is part of the family and liked the muggle story about Cupid. Well, I guess that's wrong, she called her Cupid because she thought she was a part of the family is more correct, I suppose._

_Katy_

Katy rolled up the letter and attached the scroll to Cupid's leg and the owl flew off, hooting merrily. Katy frowned at the owl as she disappeared into the sky, why was she so happy? It just wasn't fair. Katy wished she could just fly off into the sky and not have to think about anything other than which direction she wanted to go in.

She went out of the bedroom she was sharing with Lucie, where she had been writing the letter to Lily and nearly tripped on Lucie, who was sitting in the hall outside the bedroom door.

"What are you doing, Lucie?" Katy was surprised at how mad she sounded. "You almost tripped me." She glared at Lucie, it was stupid to sit like that in a hall.

"Sorry." Lucie said quickly, she didn't understand what was going on and Katy didn't care. "I just didn't want to interrupt you." She looked at the floor.

"So you trip me? Gee thanks." Katy said, still glaring and started walking off in a huff.

"Wait!" Lucie called and followed her. "What happened to you?" She said and Katy knew she hadn't said it as accusing a voice as Katy heard, but she didn't care. "You went in that room sad, and you came out mad." Lucie frowned.

"Why do you care?" Katy scowled at Lucie.

"Because I'd rather you don't bite my head off for sitting on the floor. It's not my fault, what happened to-" Lucie broke off, looking confused. "It's not fair to be mad at me!" She said, much too loudly, it seemed to Katy.

"I never said it was your fault." Katy said, still scowling. "I just told you not to trip me and asked why you were sitting on the floor."

"Yeah, but your mad at me." Lucie said stubbornly. Katy was starting to get mad. Why wouldn't Lucie just leave her alone? She was so pesky with all her stupid questions.

"Fine then, sit on the floor. I don't care." Katy said and stomped off.

_so the next chapter will be from Lily's point of view, and for the sake of convience (and cause i'm actually not that big on murdering innocent people, i know, surprise, surprise) i am not giving Lily a father. You may decide if he died or if her parents got divorced and he moved to a remote island in the Philipenes, as i like to think, but it seems like i have to get rid of James' parents and Lily's before they die... or maybe the Potter's will just move to Sri Lanka to get away from Voldemort. :D_

_Lily_


	26. Chapter 25

_Hello there my most wonderful favorite people ever! haha... no seriously, i do like you lot._

Chapter 25  
_Lily_

Lily didn't know what to do when she received a letter from Mary saying something terrible had happened and Katy's mother was dead. Lily felt immense pain and pity for Katy but she had never known Mrs. Cupit, never even exchanged more than two words with her and because of this she had no particular sadness, other than the kind one always feel when one learns about the death of another person.

Lily felt she had to see Katy; she had to be there for her friend. But she didn't know where Katy was or what she was doing and she wrote the letter to her, hoping she would figure out some way to get it to Katy when an unknown owl showed up and seemed to express interest in the letter. Lily somehow felt this was not a trick and blindly sent the letter with the owl she had never seen before.

When she got back a response from Katy, she knew she had done the right thing. She decided to quickly respond, thinking it would be best.

_Katy,_

_That's funny, how your mum named the owl. Sounds like something you would do!_

_Also, it seems like it would work out for you to come stay here for a bit if you'd like too, because my sister is going to some sort of sleep away summer camp thing for three weeks and she leaves in less than a week. Do you know if your father would let you leave?_

_I asked my parents if you could come and stay with us and they said it would be wonderful. I guess they really liked you when you visited like four years ago. But this time is shouldn't be terribly awkward because Petunia will be away so you won't get glared at every time you enter the same room as her. I'm so sorry she did that to you!_

_I hope you can come!  
Lily_

_P.S. Have you gotten your Hogwarts letter yet?_

Lily looked up at the window, and was pleased to see that the owl had stayed and was waiting patiently for Lily to finish writing her letter. Lily attached the scroll to Cupid's leg and sent her off into the night.

Lily did not sleep well that night. She was afraid that Katy's father, Mr. Cupit was how she thought of him because she realized she didn't know what his last name was, would not let Katy leave. There was also the worry that he would agree with what his wife had wanted and not let Katy and Lucie return to school.

"Is your friend going to come, Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked when Lily came down for breakfast.

"She's got a friend coming?" Petunia asked, wrinkling her nose. "Is it that girl again?" She added distastefully.

"Yes dear, it is, and she's just lost her mother, so I don't want everyone to be perfectly nice to her." Mrs. Evans said sharply to both her daughters, though Lily knew that her mother wasn't worried about Lily being rude to Katy. It wasn't that Petunia was a rude person, she just didn't like magic and so was not necessarily polite to magical people.

"It's fine, Mum. I don't know if Katy can come yet, and anyway, Petunia will be gone by the time she gets here. Off at your camp thing." She added to her sister.

"Alright, well do tell me when you know if she's coming so I can get a room ready for her."

"Mum, she can sleep in my room." Lily said, frowning. "It would be weird to invite her over and then make her sleep in the guest room." She stifled a giggle. "Especially after what happened, I don't want to put her all alone in a strange room." Lily looked at her mother who smiled back at her.

"You're right, Lil, you're so sweet all the time." She looked fondly at Lily who raised her eyebrows. "And you're very grown-up." Mrs. Evans added quickly while Lily laughed and Petunia rolled her eyes.

That evening, while Lily was reading a book in the living room, Cupid, the owl, came flying over and tapped on the glass.

"What is that thing doing?" Petunia shrieked. "Get it away!" She got up and began waving her hands at the owl. She glared at it and left the room after a few minutes of waving and realizing it wasn't working.

"Sorry about her," Lily said as she opened the window. "she's not a big fan of the magical world." Cupid landed lightly on the arm of the chair Lily had been sitting in and then held out her leg. Lily took off the letter and unfolded it, sitting back down and absentmindedly stroking the owl.

_Lily,_

_My dad didn't really want me to leave, but I persuaded him. He's willing to let me leave for two weeks if I don't go anywhere else, but I agreed. I can't leave until next Wednesday because we have the funeral to go to, but I would love to come as soon as I can after it is over. I'm not even sure I want to come to it._

_You can come if you like, we're supposed to invite her friends and anyone who may have known her, but it's going to be a big formal ordeal because Mum was a Cupit so all sorts of people who never met her will be there, pretending they cared for her. You probably shouldn't come though, it won't be any fun at all._

_So I will come on Wednesday unless you send me a letter saying otherwise. Maybe at like noon? Is your house connected to the Floo network or should I have my dad Appirate me? He said either way is just fine, but we need to know because it is a big mess to try to Floo to a house that isn't connected. Apparently you end up getting stuck and it's really hard to get out. Dad told me that one witch who tried to Floo to a Muggle's house got stuck in his wall and had to blasted out, because for some reason she couldn't Appirate out._

_I just got my letter earlier today, what about you? I reckon it's you or Aimy who gets the prefect badge._

_Katy_

Lily snorted at the idea of getting stuck in a wall, but she was glad Katy had told her that, because she was quite sure her house was not part of the Floo network, she would have to talk to her parents about if it would be okay to try to get it added. She quickly scribbled a letter saying noon was just fine and that Appiration would better.

Having sent off the letter, Lily went back to the kitchen to tell her mum when Katy was coming and to ask if she had seen any owls, but found an angry Petunia and a compassionate mother.

"How could they do that? Loads of people were signed up!" Petunia was saying and Lily's heard sank.

"What's going on?" She asked quickly.

"Your sister's camp was canceled." Mrs. Evans said sadly. "You know why they did it, dear, the area was flooded." She hung up the phone she had been holding, apparently they had just gotten the news.

"But there isn't a river nearby!" Petunia said loudly. "I checked, so I would know if I should bring a swim suit!"

"That's impossible." Mrs. Evans said, frowning. "There must be a river nearby." She pulled a map out of the cupboard in the hall and after close inspection, she stood up, looking very confused. "You're right; there isn't a river within 100 miles."

"So then why did they cancel the camp?" Lily asked weakly.

"I don't know!" Shrieked Petunia, who fumed out of the room.

"I'm sorry Lily, I guess your sister will be here when Katy comes. Is she going to come, by the way?" Mrs. Evans said, turning to Lily.

"Yes, that's what I came in here to tell you. She's coming Wednesday at noon. And she's going to be Appirated in by her father." Lily's giggled as her mum looked confused. "That means disappear and appear at will. Only overage witches and wizards can do it, so underage ones get side-along Appirated. They'll probably appear in the back yard, so that no one else notices them." Mrs. Evans still looked confused, but seemed to accept this bizarre method of travel without question.

"Oh, Lily, dear?" She called as Lily turned to leave the kitchen. "Do we need to set up a camp bed or sleeping bag for her?"

"Oh, yeah I think so." Lily grinned at her mother. "But we don't need to do that soon, she won't be here for a week."

"You said she was coming on Wednesday." Mrs. Evans said, frowning.

"Next Wednesday, sorry Mum. She's got to…" Lily paused. "…to go to her mum's funeral." She finished slowly.

"Oh I see." Mrs. Evans said sadly.

"Oh, Mum. We're supposed to get our Hogwarts letters, has mine come?" Lily asked, and her mother started to shake her head when she looked up at the window and pointed. Sure enough, there was an owl with a large envelope attached to it.

Lily opened the kitchen window and took the letter. The owl immediately flew off and while Lily worked on opening her letter, Mrs. Evans closed the window.

Lily let out a shriek when a small red and gold badge fell out of the envelope.

"Mum!" She stood up excitedly. "Mum, I got chosen as a prefect." Mrs. Evans looked up at her.

"You did? Lily that's wonderful!" She said smiling.

* * *

Two days later, there had still not been any positive change in Petunia's mood regarding Katy's visit. She wasn't really mad Katy was coming; more that she wasn't going away.

"You don't have to hang out with us, Petunia." Lily said, as she followed her sister down the hall into the kitchen for dinner.

"I'm not planning on it, don't worry." Petunia said frowning back at Lily. "I just don't think it's fair to have someone I don't like come and stay here for a while. How long is she staying anyway?"

"What about the time you had your friend Shirley over? She spent her entire stay telling me to keep out of the way because you two didn't want to hang out with a little girl!" Lily answered, outraged.

"That was a long time ago." Petunia said, glaring at Lily. "And Shirley is very nice!"

"It was last summer!"

"Which is a long time ago!"

"I was fourteen!"

"And we were sixteen!"

"Girls, please stop this arguing, you've been going at each other back and forth ever since Lily started Hogwarts, can you give it a break?" Mrs. Evans cut in.

"How long is she staying?" Petunia said again, through gritted teeth.

"Two weeks." Lily said, smiling at her sister.

"Two weeks? Mum must she really stay that long?" Petunia turned to her mother.

"She's just lost her mother!" Mrs. Evans said, frowning at her older daughter. "We are going to be generous and giving to her, I do not want her to feel unwelcome in my house."

"Thank you, Mum." Lily said, and sat down at the table.

"So then what am I supposed to do?" Petunia asked. "I don't want to hang out with your little friend."

"So go somewhere else during the day!" Lily cried. "You can go see your charming friend Shirley." She snorted. "Or just go find something to do, no one is tying you to a chair and forcing you to be in our company. We don't necessarily want to hang out with you either!"

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Lily was not sure if having Katy come to her house was a good idea. They could have all gone to Mary's house or to Aimy's. Petunia was getting grumpier as the arrival of another witch approached and Lily noticed she didn't seem to be making lots of plans for what she would do when Katy got to their house.

Lily was pacing around the house all morning, she had told her mother that Katy and her father would come into the backyard, but she didn't know for sure. She really had no idea what they were going to do. Maybe they would Appirate into an alley nearby and walk to the house, she wasn't sure.

At exactly noon, there was a knock on the front door. Lily jumped up and ran to open it. She got it open and was surprised that there was no one there. She frowned at the empty front step and started to shut the door.

"Hey! Lily, aren't you going to let us in?" Came Katy's disembodied voice and Lily jumped about a mile.

"Where are you?" She asked, looking wildly around.

"We can't take off the charm until we get inside, there are Muggles out here!" Came Katy's voice.

"Right, but how do I let you in, when I can't see you?" Lily frowned.

"Just leave the door open, we'll follow you in."

Lily stepped back and was a bit surprised when the very air of the front step seemed to move in the house with her. Bad timing had Petunia walk into the front hallway just in time to see the door shut itself, with no visible person helping it.

"Okay Dad, please take off the charm." Katy voice said impatiently. Petunia shrieked, but stayed rooted to the spot, fascinated and terrified at the same time.

"Right." Came a voice Lily had never heard before and she noticed Petunia's eyes widen in horror. There were two small pops and Katy was standing, looking slightly revolted, next to a middle-aged man who was stowing his wand away in his pocket.

"Katy!" Lily ran over and hugged her friend. "What's the matter?" She asked when Katy stayed with the unpleasant look on her face.

"Disillusionment Charm. Feels like getting an egg cracked over your head. I hate that feeling." She grinned. "Thanks for bringing me, Dad." Katy hugged him and with a crack he disappeared.

"Why didn't you guys just Appirate in here in the first place?" Lily asked.

"Well, we didn't know the exact house, so we Appirated to the street and then I recognized your house. Plus we thought it would be more polite to knock on the door, not just appear in the living room." Katy shrugged and turned away from the front door, noticing for the first time that Petunia was standing there, fear, fascination and anger all in the look she was giving Katy.

"Hi…" Katy said nervously, turning to Lily. Lily smiled and motioned up the stairs.

"Why don't we set your things in my room." She suggested. Katy grabbed her suitcase and followed Lily up the stairs.

Once in her bedroom, Lily looked at Katy closely, she hadn't seemed sad or upset downstairs, but surely she wasn't over her mother's death. Lily didn't know how to approach the subject, but decided she should ask.

"How are you, Kate?" She asked timidly.

"I'm…" Katy said slowly. "I'm okay, I suppose. That funeral was a load of rubbish if you ask me, though. 'Course, nobody did, but still."

"What do you mean?" Lily's curiosity got the better of her.

"Well there were about two hundred people there, and I'd only met about fifty of them before. Some of them I know were old school friends who she didn't see very often, but no more than seventy of the people there were actually people she would have invited. Everyone else was just big important people who were supposed to come because my family is important in society or some other ridiculous thing like that. And then I was supposed to act like I was so grateful they had all come to honor my mother and they all wanted to talk to me, I guess because I'm the oldest Cupit left and that's what you're supposed to do at a funeral, give condolences to the deceased's family, but I noticed only Mum's close friends paid any attention to Jason and Dad and very few of the other guests even knew who they were. All those people wanted, was to talk to Lucie and I." Katy was getting more and more worked up as she spoke. "It was the worst thing ever, they came to get in good with the remaining Cupits, not to honor the one who just died." Katy looked dismayed as she said this and Lily didn't know if it would help to change the subject of not.

"That's awful." She said quietly, for lack of anything else to say.

* * *

Dinner that night was excruciatingly painful.

"So are you settled in, Katy?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"Yes, and thanks for having me. It's a relief to get away from home." Katy answered and then her face darkened. "Well, James' house."

"Who's James?" Asked Petunia. It was the first thing she had said to Katy all day.

"Family friend, he lives down the road from where I lived, and my dad and sister and I are staying at his house until Dad finds a new place to live." Katy said distractedly.

"So you're staying with some friend of your dads?" Petunia said distastefully.

"No, James is one of my best friends!" Katy frowned at Petunia. "He's in our year at Hogwarts." Lily hit herself inwardly when Katy said "Hogwarts." She had forgotten to tell Katy not to mention school around Petunia.

"He goes to your little school?" Petunia asked, glaring.

"Yeah… he does." Katy looked questioningly at Lily who tried to convey an apology with her eyes.

There was a long and very awkward pause during which Petunia continued to glare at Katy and she ate her food with such ferocity that she seemed like she was going to crack the plate it was on. Katy looked thoroughly confused, and so ate her food in silence too. Lily felt herself turning redder and redder as she also continued eating. Mrs. Evans was looking at the three of them, with pity and amusement.

"I'm really sorry about Petunia." Lily said to Katy that evening. They were sitting on the porch swing in the back yard, eating bowls of ice cream. "She's mostly upset because she didn't get to go to some camp thing she was going to go to. I'm as upset she's here as she is." Lily frowned and then started laughing.

"It's fine." Katy said simply. Lily wondered how much of what she had said to Katy had actually gone through. Katy was absentmindedly spooning ice cream into her mouth and staring off into space.

"Katy?" Lily asked, she wasn't sure what to do. She was pretty sure that Katy was thinking about her mum, and didn't know how to respond. "What's up?" She asked gently.

"Mum used to do this. We didn't have a swing, but we had chairs outside. Dad doesn't like ice cream, he says it always make his teeth hurt and it's bad for you, so he never buys it. But sometimes, without telling Dad, Mum would buy a tub of ice cream and she would take Lucie and I out back and we'd each bring a spoon and the three of us would eat that entire thing, laughing the whole time because we weren't supposed to be doing it. Mum usually made the rules and was firm about them, but she had a bit of a sweet tooth for ice cream and loved to break Dad's no ice cream rule." Katy answered, still staring blankly into the back yard.

"That sounds like fun." Lily said smiling. "Petunia and I used to do that sort of thing. We'd sneak cookies out of the kitchen when we were little and eat them on this swing." Lily looked at Katy who was smiling, but whether it was from her own memory of Lily's story, Lily didn't know. "We thought we were really getting away with something." She finished.

Lily watched Katy carefully over the two weeks she stayed at the Evans house. Sometimes Katy was just like normal and the two of them had a wonderful time. Other times Lily could tell Katy felt awful but was trying to hide it or trying to have a good time. Sometimes Katy didn't pretend and Lily was always ready to be a shoulder for Katy to cry on, however, Katy had too much pride to let herself cry in front of Lily very much. Lily could tell Katy hated it when she cried around Lily. Most nights, after Katy thought Lily was asleep she would begin crying and usually cry herself to sleep.

Petunia was overjoyed when Katy finally left and Lily did not appreciate that. Lily hated that she and Petunia had not gotten over what had happened five years ago, but Petunia had never seemed to forgive Lily for leaving, for doing something Petunia couldn't join in. Petunia went to the regular, public high school Lily would have been destined for and Lily knew that her sister viewed Lily going to Hogwarts as betrayal and almost like she had been ditched, pushed aside. Lily was sorry that Petunia felt like it, she missed having a big sister to look up to. She missed how close they were when they were little.

* * *

Lily was very happy when she received a letter from Aimy a few weeks into August.

_Lily,_

_When were you thinking about going to Diagon Alley to get your school things? I was hoping to get mine about a week before term starts, do you want to meet me there? My Dad said he has to go pick something up at Flourish and Blotts on the 26th and he would be happy to take us that day._

_Mary told me that you had Katy over for a few weeks, how is she? I haven't had a chance to see her. I'm planning on sending a letter to Mary inviting her to come on the 26th as well, but I don't know where Katy is, so could you send her one?_

_Thanks and see you in about a week, I hope!  
Aimy_

_P.S. Did you get prefect?_

Lily rushed into the kitchen to ask her mother and upon getting approval she ran upstairs to write her two letters.

_Aimy,_

_I've just asked my mum if I can go and she said it is fine, but I have no way of getting anywhere. I don't think my house is connected to the Floo network and I can't Appirate. Do you think you could come and get me?_

_Yeah I did get prefect, I would ask which of the boys did, but if anyone other than Remus got it, I would fear for Professor Dumbledore's sanity. Oh, and Katy is staying at James' house, but I can definitely send her the invitation._

_See you next week!  
Lily_

Lily rolled up the letter and picked out a fresh piece of parchment.

_Kate,_

_Aimy is organizing a thing in Diagon Alley on the 26th. Can you come? She asked me to send this to you because she didn't know where to send it to. You might want to respond to her though, but you can send it to me if you like._

_I hope you're still doing okay, and your family isn't too bad. I guess you have Potter to entertain you (although Merlin knows that wouldn't work for me) so I hope you can stand it._

_See you in a week!  
Lily_

Lily rolled up the second letter and tied them to the leg of the snowy owl that had delivered Aimy's letter. She told it where to take the letter's and opened to door for it to fly away. Just as she was shutting it, a different owl, one she had seen once before, came flying inside the house. Mary's owl landed on Lily's shoulder and Lily walked into the living room. Petunia shrieked, but it didn't bother Lily anymore, Petunia always shrieked when she saw an owl in the house.

_Lily,_

_Aimy told me that you are going to come to Diagon Alley! Is Katy? Aimy said you were sending the letter to Katy. Sorry if the owl is a problem, I can't believe your sister is scared of them!_

_I'm meeting Aimy at her house in the morning, before her dad goes to Flourish and Blotts, (I don't know if she told you that) so maybe I will see you at her house._

_Can't wait!  
Mary_

Lily grinned and stood up to go upstairs. The owl on her chair hooted twice and flew out the still open front door. Apparently Mary was not expecting a reply. Lily went upstairs and set the letter down on her table, next to the letter from Aimy. She received an answer to her letter to Katy the next morning.

_Lily,_

_I'm going to send this to you for the same reason you sent your letter to me. I don't know Aimy's address or town or anything, so there is almost no way I would get this letter to her._

_I would love to come to Diagon Alley. Are we meeting there or at Aimy's house? Write me back and I will come by your house again and my dad can Appirate us to wherever it is we are going._

_See you soon!  
Katy_

Lily allowed herself to be happy that Katy sounded happy, but tried not to get overexcited that her friend was getting back to normal.

_Katy,_

_That would be great if your dad could take me. Mary said she is meeting at Aimy's house, so why don't we meet there?_

_I'll be glad to get away from Petunia, she never really got over being in the company of two people who can do magic. She's pretty much terrified of magic. One of her friends asked her to come along to a magic show that their family was going to and she refused to even consider going. She was quite mad at her friend for even asking. It was quite funny._

_See you Monday!  
Lily_

Lily rolled up the letter and started tying it to Cupid. Apparently Katy had started using the owl as her own.

"Lily?" Mrs. Evans asked, coming in her room. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's up, Mum?" Lily asked, looking up from attaching the letter to Cupid's leg.

"I was wondering if there would be a way for me to know what was going on in the magical world while you are at school." She asked.

"Well, I could subscribe to the _Daily Prophet._ That's the wizarding newspaper. I was thinking about doing that anyway, because we don't get told everything that's happening at school."

"Would you, dear?" Mrs. Evans smiled. "That would make me feel much better."

Lily decided to send in a subscription, but she didn't have anything to subscribe with so she wrote a letter asking how one would subscribe to the _Daily Prophet_ and sent it, along with the letter for Katy, off with Katy's owl.

Three hours later, an owl Lily hadn't seen before came flying into the front yard. It had a large envelope with a very official _Daily Prophet_ emblem on it and Lily opened it.

_Miss Evans,_

_Enclosed is a subscription form for the_ Daily Prophet_ newspaper. We will send you one month of free papers and if you are happy with them at the end of the month we ask you to send us the subscription form._

_Also enclosed is today's paper._

_Thank you for your patronage,_

_The_ Daily Prophet_ team_

Lily put the letter down on the table and looked at the next paper. It was just a form to fill out in a month when Lily wanted to create a real subscription. Behind that was a copy of the _Daily Prophet._

"Mum?" Lily called and her mother came into the kitchen. "They sent us a paper." She held it up. "We get a free trial for a month then we have to pay."

"Oh that's wonderful." Mrs. Evans smiled happily.

"Wait." Lily said as her mother reached out for the newspaper. "You have to be very careful with this. No one else can see it ever."

"I know, Lily, they can't know about the wizarding world."

"It's not just that Mum. Most people would probably think it was a joke if they heard about it, but it's clearly magical. The pictures move for one thing, which you couldn't explain away if someone saw it. You should keep it in your bedroom. Petunia can see it of course, but I doubt she'll want to. And Mum, it's going to have a lot of bad news in it, because there is a very bad wizard who is trying to gain power right now. It was him, or maybe his followers, who killed Katy's mum, so you have to be okay with reading about deaths and you have to promise me it won't terrify you so much you don't let me go back to school." Lily said firmly. Mrs. Evans looked a bit taken aback and eyed the newspaper a bit warily, but nodded her head slowly.

"I promise I won't force you to stay home." She said uncertainly.

"Okay." Lily opened the newspaper. "I want to read it too." Mrs. Evans sat down at the kitchen table next to Lily. The front page had a blaring headline across the top of it.

**Frightened Minister!**

The Minister of Magic has created a surprising policy  
for his office and the _Daily Prophet_. He feels it is unwise and  
perhaps even bad luck to use the name Lord Voldemort and has  
asked that in articles we call him by some other name.

The Minister urges the public to cease the use of this wizard's name.

Lily was immensely confused. They weren't allowed to say Lord Voldemort anymore? And why just a paragraph? The rest of the front page was used up with three pictures of smoldering ruins of houses and an article about a triple murder than had taken place the previous day. Lily felt her stomach churn uneasily; did Katy's house look like that? Lily had heard one frightened parent talking about You-Know-Who on the platform after school ended and supposed she meant Voldemort, but that was sort of overkill. Lily didn't like to think of him as You-Know-Who but there was really nothing else to call him.

Lily was surprised to see that in the following article the _Prophet_ referred to him and You-Know-Who, but shook it off. This would all blow over soon. There

were hundreds of Aurors out looking for Voldemort, for You-Know-Who, Lily told herself firmly, and they would find him and put him in Azkaban and then they could all go back to not living in fear.

Lily glanced sideways at her mother who was staring with blank shock at the pictures of the house.

"It looks like someone dropped a bomb on those houses." She whispered, looking terrified at Lily.

_Wooo... long chapter, and sorry for it being primarily letters :)_

_Anyway... I already have like the next three chapters written so I'll probably put them up today, maybe right after this one..._

_Please please review!!_

_Lily_


	27. Chapter 26

_See how quick I am? I think i deserve some chocolate for this!_

Chapter 26  
_Katy_

"Lucie, will you please leave me alone?" Katy growled at her sister as Lucie followed her down the corridor on the Hogwarts Express.

"I'm not following you!" Lucie retorted. "I'm meeting my own friends, but there are really only two directions to go and excuse me if we're going in the same one." She glared at Katy.

"Well, you and your little friends can go somewhere else!" Katy snarled and then looked up and saw Mary waving to her from a compartment a little ways down the train. She walked as quickly as she could and entered the compartment.

"What in the name of Merlin was going on with you and Lucie?" Mary asked with her eyebrows raised as soon as Katy sat down.

"She's such a…" Katy scowled. "She's just so, I don't know, even more of a pain than usual lately."

"You seemed just fine last week." Aimy said. "Did something happen?"

"Lucie happened." Katy frowned. She was not in the mood to be interrogated. "Whatever, though. She's just being herself."

"Okay…" Lily said skeptically.

Just then the door to the compartment opened and the witch with the trolley came by. After the four of them had bought their sweets and sat munching on them for a few minutes the door banged open again and they were greeted with a strange sight indeed. Remus was looking over the other three boys with an I-told-you-so air, Peter was sitting on the ground looking utterly bemused, James was doubled over laughing and Sirius was hopping up and down on one foot, apparently in pain.

"What on earth happened to you four?" Mary asked, alarmed.

"Well," James sputtered through his laughter as he stepped into compartment. "Sirius wanted to jinx Sn-" He cut off, looking at Lily. "Someone and Remus told him not to, but he didn't listen and when that person came by he tried to jinx him only Peter tripped just when he cast the spell."

"What did the spell do?" Katy asked, concerned that Peter had not gotten up and followed the other three into the compartment.

"It made him fall down, and… and…" James started laughing again. "And it glued him to the floor." He gasped and then burst out laughing uncontrollably.

"So why is Sirius in pain?" Katy asked, incredibly suspicious, but curious at the same time.

"Well, Sn-" James shot another look at Lily. "The person he was trying to jinx knew what his intention had been and sent a stinging hex at Sirius and it hit him in the foot."

Lily stood up, shaking her head at James and Sirius. "Do you know how to get Peter off the floor?" She asked, glancing at Peter with pity.

"We haven't tried yet." Sirius said unconcernedly.

"_Relashio._" Lily said, pointing her wand a Peter. Nothing happened; Peter was still stuck to the floor. "_Finite incantatem."_ She tried again. This time something happened. Peter was shot upward so fast he immediately fell down again, but this time he could stand up.

"Thank you Lily!" He said, smiling up at her from the floor and then he scrambled up, glaring at Sirius. "Nice aim." He said, but he started laughing too.

"Well," said Lily, rolling her eyes at the boys. "I told Sev I'd meet him. Apparently you lot saw him, where was he?"

"He went into the compartment four down." Remus said. Lily smiled her thanks and then left the compartment. Sirius immediately took Lily's place next to Katy. James sat on the other seat, opposite them, with Remus next to him and Peter next to Remus.

"Why on earth did you let her go?" James asked Remus frowning.

"I'm not going to hold her hostage, James." Remus frowned back.

"Well you don't have to do that, but you didn't have to tell her where he was, maybe she would have come back if she couldn't find him." James said hopefully.

"I doubt that." Aimy grinned. "Not with you here." She smiled angelically at James who looked only mildly offended.

"Why doesn't she like me?" he asked.

"She thinks you're an arrogant jerk." Katy offered with a smile.

"Well terrific." James sighed.

"Still pining after your one true love?" Sirius smirked. "Give it up, James. She doesn't like you."

"I'm not pining!" said James as he turned red.

"Sure James, sure." Remus raised his eyebrows at James.

"Have you seen this?" Sirius asked suddenly, pulling a rolled up magazine out of his pocket. "Second ever issue. Load of rubbish, but really funny."

"_The Quibbler."_ James read out loud, taking the magazine from Sirius. "Editor: Xenophilius Lovegood. Lovegood," James said thoughtfully. "Isn't he that complete nutter who graduated last year?" Remus nodded. "So he's got a magazine?" James said turning back to Sirius.

"Yeah and all the articles are completely absurd, but Lovegood is serious about them." Sirius said grinning.

They spent the rest of the train ride each reading out loud an article in this most absurd of magazines. Sirius had been telling the truth, Lovegood was completely serious about his articles, but they were all absolute rubbish.

As Katy hopped into one of the horseless carriages that always carried them up to the castle she felt a rush of different emotions. Part of her felt guilty, she remembered sitting in these very carriages a year ago being angry with her mother for wanting her to stay home. She also felt happy to be back at school and relief to be away from the terrible depression of living with her family. At least at Hogwarts there was a big gap in everyday life where her mother had been.

When Katy walked up the steps to the castle she felt the stares of her classmates and heard their whispers as she passed and she knew all of them had read about her mother's death in the _Daily Prophet._ She hated the looks of pity they were all giving her and receded further into the center of the little circle she and her friends were walking in.

Katy was determinedly not looking anywhere but straight ahead as she sat down at the Gryffindor table. She could still feel hundreds of eyes of herself and didn't want to make eye contact with anyone.

"Didn't anyone else lose someone over break?" She whispered to Mary. "Why are they all looking at me?"

"Cause everyone knows who your mum was and they know who you are. I bet there is at least five other people in this room who lost someone they knew, but no one else knows." Mary whispered back and began looking around the Great Hall for likely candidates. "There, see that girl?" She pointed at a woebegone little figure at the end of the Ravenclaw table. "I'll bet she lost someone. She looks ready to start crying." Mary's eyes continued to roam the Great Hall. "And that boy there." This time it was a big seventh year Hufflepuff who clearly had had a rough summer. He even looked like he himself had suffered some injuries. "And those two over there." Two girls who looked very similar and both wore similar looks of grief and pain on their faces sitting a little ways up on the Ravenclaw table were the third objects of Mary's search.

"I can't help but notice," interrupted Sirius. "But none of the people you are pointing out seem to be from Slytherin."

"Well, gee, I wonder why." Mary said with mock sincerity.

By the end of the first week back in classes, Katy was thoroughly tired of being lectured to by the teachers about how important this year was because it was the year they had OWL's. Lily took every word of these lectures completely seriously and Aimy seemed mildly interested, but not worried a bit. Mary pretty much ignored them and so did Katy.

Katy's first weekend was already piled with homework, but fortunately they had History of Magic last on Friday, so they all, except for Aimy and Remus, spent it doing homework for other classes. Aimy and Remus could both complete their homework twice as fast as everyone else, so they didn't need to work on it during other classes. They were also the only ones who seemed immune to Binns' voice and both managed to take pretty thorough notes which were always shared and copied later by everyone else to study for exams with.

_Well maybe not too much chocolate because it was so short, but hey, I'm about to upload two more chapters! and they are both longer than this!_

_review review review!_

_Lily_


	28. Chapter 27

_It is nice to be back at Hogwarts, so much more to play with!_

Chapter 27  
_Lily_

Lily found herself staring at two different people rather a lot. She didn't stare at either on purpose and she had very different reasons for staring at the two of them, but she would often realize she had been staring at one or both of them. She knew exactly why she stared at Katy, she was always worried about her and afraid she would get upset and so looking for any hint of sadness, and while usually nothing happened, there was always just a dull pain in Katy's eyes. Sometimes of course, something would set her off, and it was usually Lucie who made her sad and mad. Lily didn't know for sure, but suspected it had something to do with the fact that Lucie had known about their mum's death first. Something Katy had said to her over the summer had created that suspicion.

The other person she found herself staring at was Black. At first she couldn't explain this, but came to realize it was about Katy. She had spent the entire first term of fourth year telling Katy that Black was madly in love with her, and Lily had suspected Black to ask Katy out the minute she and Jack stopped dating, but as far as she knew, Black had done nothing. Lily was constantly watching him trying to decide if he did like her or he just had some intense hate for Jack Abbott that Lily couldn't explain. After about two weeks she came to the conclusion that he did like Katy. She knew the reason he hadn't asked out Katy was not because he was too shy, Sirius Black was not shy in any way, shape or form, and she seriously doubted he had the perceptiveness to give her some time to get over what had happened with Jack so she couldn't come up with any logical reason.

"Hey, Black." She decided to ask him about it, even though it might not be a good idea, she wanted to know. "Come here for a minute." She gestured for him to follow her. There was an empty classroom just down the hall and she went in it, with Black following her and looking rather surprised, and a little concerned. "I'm not going to hurt you." She said frowning.

"So…" He tried to act natural but was clearly very awkward with the whole situation. "What do you want, Evans?"

"What is up with you and Katy?" She asked bluntly.

"Nothing…" Black looked at her, confused.

"I know and it's driving me mad." Lily said as she began pacing. "I thought you liked her. And she and Jack stopped going out nine months ago! I'd thought you'd have asked her out by now?"

"And that's why you called me in here?" He said, obviously amused. "To ask why I haven't asked out Katy? I thought you didn't like me?"

"I- what?" Lily stopped pacing. "What does my lack of feelings for you have to do with anything?"

"Well, when I don't like someone I usually don't want them dating my best friend. And I don't get the idea you're particularly fond of me." He smirked. "So why are you concerned I haven't asked Katy out?"

"I'm not concerned, I was just curious." Lily said defensively. "So do you like her or not?" She wanted to get the conversation back on track.

"Do you like James?" Apparently that was just wishful thinking on Lily's part; she had clearly lost control of the situation.

"I– no… what are– stop changing the subject!" Lily said distractedly.

"Alright then, if you're going to be in denial I'll just show you the more mature way to approach feelings. Yes I like Katy." He stood up; he was clearly at ease now. "See Evans, that wasn't so hard. Admitting I have feelings for someone."

"But I don't have feelings for James!" Lily shrieked.

"Really?" Sirius asked, grinning like mad.

"Really." Lily said frowning, she didn't like that grin.

"Then why didn't you call him Potter?"

"I did so call him Potter. I always call him that. I hate him!" Lily glared at Sirius who seemed to be having a great time.

"Nope, sorry Lily darling, you called him James. And now I really must be off, but if you would like to have a little chat any other time, just tell me. This has been most eye opening, but now I am going to go embrace my feelings and get me a girlfriend." He grinned at her and left her standing rooted to the spot, having not much more than a faint idea of what had just happened. However the one thing that did click was his parting line. He was about to go ask out Katy. Lily quickly detached herself from the bit of floor she had been frozen on and followed Black out the door.

She ran into Mary and, to her bitter disappointment and extreme uncomfort, Potter in the corridor.

"Have you guys seen Black?" She asked quickly.

"He went down there." Potter pointed.

"What about Katy?" Lily asked.

"Same, only a few minutes before. Sirius asked us that too." Mary said. "Why?"

"He's going to ask her out and I want to see." Lily said grinning. Mary and Potter both looked quite interested too and the three of them went running off in the direction Black and Katy had gone. They rounded a corner and heard a very happy sort of shriek coming from another empty classroom. The door was still mostly open and they could all three see in. They got up to the door just in time to see Katy's overjoyed face before she and Black began kissing. Lily frowned. She wanted her friend to be happy, but she didn't see how kissing someone like Black would accomplish that. She would personally be utterly nauseated. She looked over at her two companions to see their reactions and smiled when she realized all three of them had different 

reactions. Mary looked like she thought it was adorable and Potter looked rather impressed. Lily knew her own face must have looked a bit disgusted and confused at the same time.

To Lily's immense surprise, it was Potter who suddenly pulled on her arm and on Mary's.

"We shouldn't be here." He whispered and pulled them both down the hall a bit. "I'd hate it if someone was watching me…" He trailed off, looking at Lily. She sighed, and as much to her own surprise as anyone else's, she didn't even glare at him.

"You know," Lily mused to Mary as they went up the staircase to the girls dormatories. "I'm starting to wonder if James Potter might just be a human being."

"It's taken you five years to figure that out?" Mary giggled with raised eyebrows.

"Well he's certainly acted otherwise to me." Lily said, also giggling. "But I'd never have thought he would be the one to say that we should leave Kate and Black alone. That surprised me." She said and frowned. "I don't think I'll ever understand him. Sometimes he seems like he's okay and like I might be able to deal with being near him for more than just a few minutes, sometime he seems like a nice guy, but then he turns around and acts like an arrogant jerk." She shook her head. "He is really quite confusing." They entered the dorm and flopped down on their respective beds.

Twenty minutes later, Katy came flying in the room.

"Guess what? Guess what? Guess what?" She almost shouted, spinning circles around the room. Lily exchanged a look with Mary, unsure if she was supposed to tell Katy that she was the one who sort of told Black to ask her out.

"What?" Mary asked, Lily was grateful she had not been the one who had to answer Katy.

"Sirius asked me out!!" She began prancing around the room, looking happier than Lily had seen her in over a year. She hadn't really been this happy since she started going out with Jack, but Lily tried to push Jack out of her mind.

"That's so cute!" Mary smiled at Katy. "That's really cool."

"Lily?" Katy said, stopping her circles and looking serious. "Are you happy for me? Because I know you don't like Sirius."

"Yeah, I am." Lily said and she burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Katy asked, looking quite concerned.

"Well." Lily decided to just say it. "I asked Black why he hadn't asked you out already and if he really liked you and then he told me he was off to get himself a girlfriend and then he went and asked you out. I promise I'm happy for you, I'm glad you're so happy and I will try to put up with Black just for you." Lily giggled and Katy seemed to find it all very funny too and soon all three of them were laughing like mad.

* * *

By the next morning, new that Sirius Black was dating Katy Cupit had already spread to most of the school. Most people who commented about it were just saying how it was cute, but Lily 

definitely heard some of the Slytherins saying it just added to Black's crimes, dating a Cupit. Lily was thoroughly disgusted by one conversation between two sixth year Slytherin boys in which they talked about how Katy's family was the worst kind of pureblood there is and they would despise Black even more than they already did if Katy wasn't so hot and that they had to give him credit for "scoring a girl like that." Lily was very tempted to go up and hex the both of them, but she refrained as she was quite a bit smaller than either of them and they would be more than happy to hex her back as they were not altogether fond of muggleborns.

"Isn't that great, about Sirius and Katy?" Someone asked one evening, about a week after Black and Katy started dating, as Lily was working on her latest essay for History of Magic.

"Yeah, terrific." She said quickly and picked up the page of notes written in Aimy's loopy handwriting. Lily didn't even register who was talking to her. If forced to, she probably would have had a hard time recounting the question she had just been asked. "Sorry, but now's not the best time. I've got to finish this."

"Do you want help?"

"Sure, why not." Lily said, nodding. She picked up the next sheet of notes and turned to find herself face to face with Potter. She was suddenly quite flustered. "Since when have you ever been willing to do more work than you absolutely have to?"

"Since I finished my essay and you look stressed out." He raised his eyebrows. "You must really see me as the villain of your life story." He smiled sadly at her and got up and left. There was a part of her that wanted to ask him to come back and apologize, but the much larger rest of her squashed that part without much concern. Lily shook herself, ever since her conversation with Black she had been most uncomfortable around Potter and she could not figure out why. She clearly did not like him; it was a rare occasion when she could stand him enough to think he might possible become her friend some day, but Lily would rather lay down on the tracks in front of the Hogwarts Express than go on a date with James Potter.

Lily never got to finish her essay because Aimy came rushing into the common room and one glance at her told Lily, and everyone else in the common room, something bad had happened.

"What in Merlin's name happened?" Katy almost shouted, running to Aimy. Lily knew why Katy was the one to speak first, she was always on the alert for deaths and terrible things these days.

"Mary." Aimy said, and she collapsed on the chair nearest her, looking confused and sad and angry all at the same time.

"What happened to Mary?" Katy said, her voice cracking a little. Lily also jumped up and joined Katy and Aimy.

"Well," Aimy began. "Nothing to serious, I'm sorry, I know I scared you, it's more of what could have happened to her. Do you know who Mulciber is?" Katy nodded, but Lily didn't know who he was. "Well, he tried to do something, I don't even know what, but he shot this flickering black jet of light at her and it just missed her, but it blew up the table that it hit. Anyway, Mary wasn't sure what to do at that point and so she turned and ran, but she sort of tripped and gashed open her chin, so she's in the Hospital Wing right now, I just wanted to come you lot." Aimy looked around. "Where's Remus?"

"He's… uh, well he's sick right now." Black said, looking away. Ordinarily, Lily would have spent a few minutes trying to figure out where in the lunar cycle they were, because she had her suspicions, but just then she didn't even pay attention to Black, she just followed Katy out of the common room to the Hospital Wing.

Mary was sitting up in one of the hospital beds, flicking through a magazine, with a bandage on her chin.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked quickly.

"Yeah, feel a bit stupid though, I mean he tried to curse me and it missed and then I go and break my chin open?" She giggled. "Apparently running away is not my strong suit."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Katy asked, moving closer and sitting on the bed.

"Yes I'm just fine, I suppose my chin hurts a bit, but that's to be expected." Mary opened her mouth to say something else, but Madame Pomphrey came bustling over with potions in each hand.

"Here you are, Miss Macdonald," she said, uncorking the first one. "This one is to mend the bone in your chin." Mary drained it with a very sour look on her face. "This is for the pain." Mary took the second without a reaction. "And this will put you to sleep. You do not have to take it now, but your friends must leave in fifteen minutes." She left the sleeping potion on the bedside table and hurried off.

"So why isn't Remus here?" Mary asked, apparently that was what she had been going to ask before Madame Pomphrey came over.

"Sirius said he was sick." Katy shrugged. "He sure gets sick a lot." Lily exchanged a look with Aimy and knew that both of them were thinking the same thing.

"Well this was a bad time to get sick. I wanted to ask him if he knew what that curse was. I figured he was the most likely candidate to know." Mary sighed. "Oh well, I don't really need to know. But it's a bit creepy that it blew up the table…"

* * *

The next morning was Saturday and the Gryffindor common room was buzzing with new gossip.

"What happened?" Lily asked Katy as she came downstairs.

"I knew it!" Katy said happily. "I knew some day I would get the chance to prove to you that James is a nice guy. He saved your friend's life last night."

"What are you talking about? Whose life?" Lily said, frowning as she located her other friends, they all seemed perfectly intact.

"Severus Snape." Katy said triumphantly and Lily was completely shocked. Why would Potter do something nice for Severus? Potter hated Severus.

"What did he do?"

"Well, Snape snuck down that hole by the Whomping Willow and went down the tunnel and James went in after him to save him from the thing down there." Katy grinned widely. "I always knew you'd have to see the light someday."

Lily wasn't sure what to say to that. She was grateful Potter had helped Severus and a little concerned for what on earth Sev had been thinking when he went down that tunnel. However, she wasn't about to start worshipping Potter and she didn't even think this made him her friend. It just made him slightly more human.

"Hey Evans!" Potter shouted and came over to her and Katy. "Did you hear what your little friend tried to do?" He smirked, and Katy was beaming back and forth between the two of them. Suddenly Lily was angry, she had appreciated what he had done when Katy had told her, but when Potter came over to brag about it and prove how awful Severus was, she did not want to hear it.

"Leave me alone, Potter." She glared at him and stormed out of the common room for breakfast.

_I don't think anyone can know just how long i have been waiting to get Sirius and Katy together, so yay!!_

_So I sort of think that whole Whomping Willow thing was supposed to happen in third year, but I didn't do third year and I wanted to do this scene, so in my version it is fifth year. Also, as will start next chapter there are going to be all the Hogwarts memories from the Prince's Tale in DH._

_I'll keep getting updated so fast if i get reviews!_

_Lily_


	29. Chapter 28

_I have been waiting for this chapter forEVER. and pretty soon i will be using the chapters i wrote like a million years ago... yay!_

_ohh... still not jkr_

Chapter 28  
_Katy_

Katy was in a hurry. She was supposed to meet Lily in the courtyard and then they would be going into Hogsmeade. She was meeting Sirius for the afternoon, but both had agreed to hang out with their other friends for the morning.

Katy turned out of the corridor and into the courtyard and located Lily, arguing with Snape. Katy walked up, she hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but the conversation caught her ear.

_(A/N: So right here I am going to use the actual scene from HPDH, The Prince's Tale. I will be putting it in bold and for the other times I use scenes from that chapter, they will be in bold also. I know that some of how people may be described is different, but as I am not JKR, bare with me. Example: I would not say that Lily looked up into the thin, sallow face ordinarily, but right here I will because JKR did.)_

"… **thought we were supposed to be friends?" Snape was saying. "Best friends?"**

**We **_**are**_** Sev, but I don't like some of the people you're hanging round with! I'm sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! **_**Mulciber!**_** What do you see in him Sev, he's creepy! D'you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?"**

**Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face.**

"**That was nothing," said Snape. "It was a laugh, that's all –"**

"**It was Dark Magic, and if you think that's funny –"**

"**What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?" demanded Snape. His color rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment.**

"**What's Potter got to do with anything?" said Lily.**

"**They sneak out at night. There's something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?"**

"**He's ill," said Lily. "They say he's ill –"**

"**Every month at the full moon?" said Snape.**

"**I know your theory," said Lily, and she sounded cold. "Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do care what they're doing at night?"**

"**I'm just trying to show you they're not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are."**

**The intensity of his gaze made her blush.**

"**They don't use Dark Magic, though." She dropped her voice. "And you're being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Willow, and James Potter saved you from whatever's down there –"**

**Snape's whole face contorted and he spluttered, "Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends' too! You're not going to – I won't let you –"**

"_**Let**_** me? **_**Let **_**me?"**

**Lily's bright green eyes were slits. Snape backtracked at once.**

"**I didn't mean – I just don't want you made a fool of – He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!" The words seem wrenched from him against his will. "And he's not… everyone thinks… big Quidditch hero –" Snape's bitterness and dislike were rendering him incoherent, and Lily's eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead.**

"**I know James Potter's an arrogant toerag," she said, cutting across Snape. "I don't need you to tell me that. But Mulciber's and Avery's idea of humor is just evil. **_**Evil,**_** Sev. I don't understand how you can be friends with them."**

_(Okay back to me! And I know in the book after this scene they walk away and Snape has a "new spring in his step" but for the purposes of my own selfish desire, I need them to stay put, so just go with me people. Snape can have his springy step in a bit.)_

Katy frowned at the two people in front of her, although neither knew she was there. Lily was looking the angriest Katy had ever seen her and Snape seemed to have stopped listening when Lily insulted James. He had visibly relaxed and was just staring at her. Katy decided now was the time to intervene.

"Hey, Lily!" She called and went up to them. Snape glared at her. "Snape." She nodded her head in greeting. "Lily are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I…" Lily looked around, distracted. "Yeah, sorry. Let's go. Bye Sev." She half waved at him and turned toward Katy. Katy received one last death glare from Snape before he gave Lily a hopeful smile that she didn't see and turned and walked away. Katy thought his walk was different than usual and thought perhaps he was especially happy. (_You see, there is that springy step!)_

"What on earth was that about?" Katy asked as soon as they were out of earshot of Snape.

"Oh, you heard?" Lily said frowning. "He pays way too much attention to Potter."

"Same with James; he pays too much attention to Snape. They're both jealous of each other." Katy said and Lily looked at her, obviously she didn't believe her.

"Potter is not jealous of Severus, I know that. He despises him. And same the other way around."

"No, sorry Lily, but no. I bet if Snape could, he would make himself popular with everyone, a big joker and have loads of friends who adored him." Lily opened her mouth to protest but then shut it. "And while he would never in a million, million years admit it, I know James is jealous that Snape is your friend."

"That's crazy." Lily said, shaking her head.

"One other thing. Was Snape serious, when he pretty must accused Remus of being a werewolf?" Katy asked and she knew she had asked something big because Lily immediately became tense and figity.

"Well, yes, I… he thinks…" Lily broke off looking at Katy who had her eyebrows raised and was frowning at Lily. "Yes he was serious."

"How could he think that?" Katy asked, thinking hard. "Wait, is Remus really sick every month at the full moon?" Lily nodded mutely, not making eye contact. Katy was starting to be suspicious of two of her friends.

"So he's sick at the full moon, he always seems to be hurt, and he's got funny scratches on his arms." Katy frowned. "Lily, is Remus a werewolf?" Lily didn't look up. "Lily!" Katy said and Lily did look up, but this time there were tears in her eyes.

"I'm not sure, I mean I've never asked him, but he must be." She said as the tears came down her face. "Poor Remus, that's one of the worst things you can be in our world. No wonder he won't tell anyone."

"Do the boys know?" Katy asked, she was thinking hard. They must know, they're always planning things they won't tell anyone about. "They must!" Katy suddenly shrieked. "They have that thing they're trying to do that will help him, how do they think they can help a werewolf?" Lily shrugged. "Does anyone else know?"

"I think Aimy might." Lily said. The rest of the walk down into Hogsmeade was silent. Katy was trying to process the overly large amount of information her brain had just received. She had no idea what happened to Remus during the full moon. They couldn't keep him in the Hospital wing, and besides, when Mary had been there the previous weekend, Remus hadn't been there. He just disappeared. Suddenly Katy thought of what Snape had said, "He was saving his own neck and his friends' too!" James had gone down the tunnel there and saved Snape from the howling, terrible beast that lived in there. Although as Katy thought about it, she didn't hear the howls and shrieks very often. Was it her imagination as she tried to piece all this together that the howls only happened during the full moon? Was Remus taken to the Shrieking Shack every full moon? Was there a passage from the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack? Katy shared all her thought with Lily as they sat down in the Three Broomsticks, careful not to say Remus' name. Lily agreed with everything she said and the two of them fell into silence again. Katy was telling herself over and over that this knowledge didn't change anything, that she had been friends with Remus for close to five years now and he had never seemed like a Dark Creature, never seemed dangerous or menacing. She kept telling herself he was the same person he had always been, but she kept getting an image of the small blonde boy turning into a terrifying creature. Without realizing it, she and Lily sat at the table in silence for the entire morning. She had been supposed to meet Sirius at noon but noon came and went and she didn't leave her thoughts.

* * *

At one o'clock, Sirius, James, Remus and Peter came into the Three Broomsticks, looking worried. They spotted Lily and Katy both staring blankly into space and rushed over.

"What happened to you two?" Sirius asked, thoroughly concerned.

"What? Nothing happened, I…" Katy stopped, she had just seen Remus. When she looked at him she could see the small, blonde boy, but she could also see a monster. She was staring at him wide-eyed, in fear and then she got up and fled the Three Broomsticks. She ran all the way up High Street and out of the town to the see the Shrieking Shack. She stood there, staring at it for a long time, she wanted to see the place for real. She had always glanced in uncertain fear, but excitement at it before, now she knew it held a werewolf, and it held a werewolf who was her friend. She was staring at it, trying to picture the monster inside but she found as she tried to imagine it, all she could picture was the Remus she had met on the first day of Hogwarts, timid, small and clearly in pain. She had thought he was just getting over a sickness, but no doubt he was just getting over a full moon. She could see the tiny eleven year old boy standing in front of the Shrieking Shack and even though she knew she was only seeing him in her mind, she could see him as clearly as if he was really there. She thought of what she had just done, running away like that and tears began pouring from her face. It wasn't Remus' fault, he hadn't asked to be bitten.

To her surprise, Remus came walking up to her, looking warily from her to the Shrieking Shack. Katy could tell that Remus must know what had happened and choosing to flee to the Shrieking Shack made it even more obvious.

"I'm sorry." Remus whispered. "You must hate me now."

"No I don't." Katy said, wiping the tears off her face. "I don't hate you."

"Why not?" He asked, confused. "Peter didn't speak to me for almost a month when he found out."

"That's why he stopped talking to you in third year?" Katy frowned. "But James and Sirius both seemed fine then."

"Well, James thought it was cool, he was a bit wary of me for about a week, but he thought it was cool. And Sirius wasn't that phased; he said he had met werewolves before because his parents were so into the Dark Arts."

"Oh." Katy raised her eyebrows. "Sorry about what I just did." She looked up at him. "I only just figured it out this morning."

"Does anyone else know?" He asked, suddenly fearful.

"Lily knows. And she thinks Aimy knows. And apparently Snape suspects." When Katy mentioned Snape, Remus' eyes clouded over.

"He knows. He saw me." He said scowling at the ground.

"He saw you?" Katy asked incredulously.

"Sirius told him if he went down the tunnel he's be able to see what was down there and he did, but James backed out of the prank at the last minute and pulled him out but he saw me first." Remus recited dully. Katy had a feeling it wasn't the first time he had told that story but she couldn't imagine who he had told it to.

"I am going to have to have a little chat with Sirius then." Katy said and she started laughing. Fortunately Remus seemed to find it funny and pretty soon they were both laughing hard, sitting on the ground by the Shrieking Shack.

Soon James, Sirius, Lily and Peter came up to them, quite confused by the scene they found.

"And you were afraid they would never speak again." Sirius shook his head at James.

"You're the one who said you thought she was going to hex him!" James retorted at Sirius.

The six of them sat there, talking for the rest of the afternoon. As they began to walk back to Hogwarts, Katy pulled Sirius a little ways away from the rest of the group.

"Sorry about our date. I guess the lack of it was kind of my fault." She grinned.

"No it wasn't, it was Snape's. Evans told us what happened." He kissed the top of her head. "We'll get it next time, Kate." He grinned at her and they walked up to the school hand in hand.

_well, i should really be not talking here as when i am it means i am not writing, but i think i will have to abandon both things, because i have lots of chores i have to do today... shame really._

_so whats the magic way to get me to write faster? revieeeeewwwwww_


	30. Chapter 29

_Hello friends and foes, well, probably not foes. if you don't like, why would you be reading this, hmm?_

Chapter 29  
_Lily_

Lily had been suspicious of Remus being a werewolf ever since the middle of second year when she happened to notice the full moon and made some comment about Remus had always seemed fascinated by, or perhaps a little fearful of the moon and what a pity it was he wasn't here to see such a large, full moon.

She hadn't really thought about it for a while but started realizing she was making the same comment every full moon and then found herself absentmindedly tracking Remus' sickness. She managed to convince herself it was just coincidence until about halfway through third year when she was starting to accept to herself what Remus Lupin really was. She didn't interact with him daily as she tried to stay as far away from Potter and Black as she could, so the weeks in which she was rather wary of him, passed unnoticed. She began watching him and she could almost pinpoint the moment the other three boys found out what Remus was. She knew exactly why Peter wouldn't talk to Remus for a month, but didn't mention anything because she knew she wasn't supposed to know. As she watched Remus, she began to see how hard he worked to cover up for himself. He widely told people he had a chronic condition with a very long name that he couldn't pronounce. He said it had something to do with his blood and that was why he was always sort of pale.

She didn't know why she was so upset when Katy realized the truth, but she found herself feeling guilty the next few days for not trying her best to disprove Katy's suspicions. She knew it wouldn't have worked, but she felt awful for just nodding and giving away the most important thing to be kept secret in a million years. Or at least that is how it felt to Lily after she gave it away. She knew that if she was ever given the chance to keep such an important secret again, she would not tell for anything. This was also one of the reasons that for the rest of Lily's life she would value honesty and the ability to keep a secret very highly.

After the highly informative and secret revealing visit to Hogsmeade, Lily was ready for everything to just settle down. However, she knew that was not a hope that would likely prosper. She found herself spending more time with Potter and Black than ever before because now that Black and Katy were going out, they spent quite a lot of time together. This meant that the two little groups of fifth year Gryffindors had mostly merged into one larger group. Lily was mostly okay with that as long as she could get herself situated as far from Potter as possible. Other than being forced to spend more time that Lily could happily stomach with Potter, Black seemed to have immensely enjoyed talking to her when she pulled him aside that day and was constantly talking to her. This wouldn't have bothered her so much if he hadn't been convinced she was secretly in love with Potter.

"So, Lily, how is your life on this fine morning?" He asked, falling into step next to her as she walked out of the Great Hall about two weeks after the Hogsmeade visit.

"Did you really decide not to finish breakfast just to come find me and ask me how my life is this morning?" She said, frowning at him.

"I just wanted to know if you'd been thinking." He smiled up at her.

"Yes, I actually do that quite a lot." Lily said, she really didn't like where these conversations went. "So Black, since every time we talk it seems to be the exact same conversation, let's just cut the part when you badger me about liking Potter and I insult your intelligence, and go straight to where we part ways."

"We could," Black said thoughtfully. "But that would not be very enjoyable, don't you agree?"

"Oh I don't know, it could be fun." Lily said, looking pointedly at him. He ignored her and kept going.

"Then, why don't say maybe we'll do your idea next time." He grinned at her and she shook her head, but he ignored her again. "Have you thought about those dear little feelings you are so ardently denying?"

"Nope!" Said Lily brightly. "I would, however, if there were any 'dear little feelings' to think about." She frowned at him. "But there aren't, so it's not an issue."

"Oh I think there might be." He said, raising his eyebrows at her. "Just look a little deeper."

"Deeper?" Lily asked. "Trust me I can't look any deeper. I don't like him."

"Try your knees?" Black suggested. "Perhaps it's hiding down there." Lily snorted in spite of herself. She hated it when she found something Potter or Black said funny because they always seemed to take it as positive affirmation of her feelings towards them.

"How anyone managed to trap a Mountain Troll in your body is beyond me." She huffed and then left, grinning to herself about how the conversation had gone exactly as she had predicted. She glanced back in the direction of Black who was standing, chuckling to himself and then turned and went back into the Great Hall.

"What happened to you?" Severus asked, walking up to her.

"What do you mean?" She said, turning to face him.

"You were staring at the spot in the corridor Black just vacated and you had a very odd look on your face." He said, frowning and looking her over.

"Oh, it's nothing, just Black being Black."

"Why do you put up with him?" Severus frowned at the mention of Sirius Black.

"I don't have much choice. He's in mostly all my classes and he's Katy's boyfriend. I kind of have to deal with him." Lily said, matching Severus' frown. "He's a right pain though."

"Really?" Severus responded, the sarcasm in his voice easily apparent.

"Lily!" Mary came rushing out of the Great Hall and ran over to Lily and Severus. "Hi… Snape." Mary said without actually looking at him, Lily was always sort of mad at her friends for not even giving him a chance. "Lily, you've got to come back in the Great Hall." She grinned like mad. "Trust me, this is something you would want to see." Mary started laughing and running back towards the Great Hall. Lily smiled at Severus and followed Mary.

She got to the Great Hall entrance with no idea what to expect. James Potter was sitting on top of the Gryffindor breakfast table, looking utterly confused as to why he was there. Lily couldn't fathom what had happened, but Potter was sitting in a platter of eggs so it didn't matter. To make the whole thing better, Professor McGonagall came over and began giving Potter a lecture about staying in his seat and how wholly inappropriate he was being. She was deaf to Potter's protests and Lily watched the entire scene certain that she was going to have a very good day.

She had an ever better evening, because Potter had been given three days detention and was spending most of the evenings helping McGonagall with who knew what. Not having Potter in the common room in the evening really made it more enjoyable and she could concentrate on her homework because she wasn't constantly being interrupted by him shouting things to everyone.

"What exactly happened this morning?" Aimy was asking Mary as Lily finished her essay for Professor Slughorn.

"I don't really know," Mary said thoughtfully. "He was sitting talking with Remus and then he got a very weird look on his face and then he sort of jumped up and fell over and landed in the eggs and toast." She burst out laughing. "Still don't know what prompted the whole ordeal though." Lily snorted over her parchment as she reread her Potions essay. Satisfied, Lily rolled it up and went to sit with Aimy and Mary. Katy was sitting with Black, Remus and Peter.

"Well, he didn't seem to understand why he was there, so it must not have been on purpose, right?" Aimy asked, frowning.

"I guess so…" Mary said, glancing over at the three boys and Katy who were all laughing uproariously at something.

"Who cares how he got there, it was priceless." Lily beamed at Mary. "Thank you so much for getting me. I wouldn't have missed that for anything."

Katy walked over just then and Lily was surprised to see that as soon as she stopped laughing at whatever had been so funny in the other side of the room, she at once looked sad. Not about-to-cry sad, just that her eyes lost their happiness when she wasn't laughing.

The next day, Mary and Aimy pulled Lily aside in the common room.

"Lily." Mary began, very seriously. "We want to talk to you about Snape."

"Please can we not?" Lily groaned. "I'm really getting tired of you guys telling me he's a creep and a Slytherin and therefore I cannot be friends with him."

"It's not that." Aimy said. "We heard him call Emma Westberg a Mudblood."

"What?" Lily said. "If this a joke, it's not funny. He wouldn't call a muggleborn that."

"He did, Lily." Mary said sadly.

"No." Lily said stubbornly. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she refused to listen to her friends. If Severus was turning into a prejudiced pureblood Slytherin maniac, her entire world was falling apart. Her best friend would be turning against her and worst of all; it would 

mean Potter and Black correct about what they had been taunting her with for the past four and a half years. By the end of the day, Lily had managed to convincer herself that he had only said it because his friends made him. She was short with him for the next two weeks and he didn't seem to know why. After spending time denying it and then mollifying it, Lily find just pushed the incident out of her mind, willing herself to forget the conversation with Mary and Aimy.

"Kate, hey Katy!" Lily called one weekend afternoon when she saw Katy walking by herself down by the lake. "Katy, are you okay?" She asked, catching up to her and seeing how sad her friend looked.

"I'm fine." Katy said quickly.

"I don't want to pry or anything, but you really don't look fine." Lily said, she was really concerned about Katy.

"Really, I'm just fine. I just wanted some time to myself." Katy gave a brave attempt at a smile. "But I'm better now." Lily raised her eyebrows and Katy ignored that. "How are you?" Katy asked, obviously changing the subject.

"I'm absolutely spiffing." Lily said sarcastically.

"Glad to hear it." Katy giggled and the sadness in her eyes was snuffed out as the happiness returned. Apparently she was only happy when she was laughing. Lily resolved to keep a closer watch on her.

Lily glanced up at the castle and nudged Katy.

"Look." She whispered, although she didn't know why she had whispered, there was no chance the people she was pointing at would hear her. Katy followed her finger and her eyes came to rest on Headmaster Dumbledore deep in a very anxious looking conversation with Professor McGonagall.

"That's bad." Katy said, frowning at Lily. "Dumbledore is always calm about everything. If he's worried, something bad happened." Lily looked, alarmed at Katy.

"If it's really bad, they'd tell the students, right?"

"I think so…" Katy answered, but she sounded unsure.

For the rest of the week, there were no more whispered conversations, and Lily kept an eye out for McGonagall or Dumbledore. She was worried however when a week and a half after she and Katy saw the two of them talking, Dumbledore was not at dinner and he did not return to the school for almost two weeks.

Lily and Katy would exchange worried glances with each other whenever they walked into the Great Hall for a meal and saw the Dumbledore was not at his place at the High Table. No one else seemed to have noticed anything, although Lily did overhear Remus and Aimy having a conversation about why Dumbledore was not at the school, but neither of them seemed to think it was all that sinister. Lily did know if was possible that she and Katy had completely over exaggerated what they saw and that maybe Dumbledore and McGonagall were worried about 

something school related, but she couldn't help but feel this had to do with the awful things happening daily outside of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

One night in the common room, everyone else was interrupted by a loud, exuberant whoop coming from the corner of the room where Potter, Black, Remus and Peter were all looking over a big fat book. Lily looked up, surprised that James Potter could have been that happy while looking at a book, but she decided there was probably something else in the book and it was just a fake cover thing for their latest prank. The four boys went tearing up the stairs to the boys dormitories all looking far too excited to have been looking at a book, even for Remus.

Lily pushed it out of her mind, but it was brought back when about two weeks later, the four of them came running into the common room from who knew where looking even happier than they had about the book. Lily noticed Remus was holding the book when they all came running in. Black ran over to Katy and pulled her into a kiss and then when they stopped she gave him a questioning look and Potter shouted "We did it! I knew we could!"

"Did what?" Katy asked them, grinning along with their happiness.

"Can't tell you." Potter said, smiling superiorly at her.

"What did you do, Sirius?" Katy asked, evidently expecting her boyfriend to not withhold information from her.

"Sorry, Kate, we really can't tell you. Maybe in a long, long, long, long time. But not until…" He cut off, apparently trying to decide when this big secret could be revealed.

"Until we graduate from school!" Potter said laughing and Lily was suddenly interested. What on earth could they have done that was so against school rules they wouldn't even tell Katy until they graduated. They usually told her most of their pranks, even if they were breaking large amounts of school rules.

"Until you get out of school?" Mary asked, standing up and looking surprised. "How many rules are you breaking this time?" Potter gave her his "I'm innocent" grin and the rushed out of the common room. Black kissed Katy once more, grinned at her and followed Potter. Remus and Peter went out behind them.

"Merlin's pants! What was that about?" Mary turned to Katy, utterly confused.

"No idea…" Katy said frowning. "But whatever they're doing must be really bad, or big or really something if they won't tell me. They usually tell me."

For the next week, all four of them were in a permanent happy high. It was quite annoying, Lily thought, although she did recognize one major perk of the whole business. Potter was so busy being happy about their latest rule-breaking episode that he forgot to constantly pester Lily. The same went with Black, it had been over two weeks since he had last tried to talk to her about her so called unrequited love for James Potter.

"So what exactly are you four doing?" Lily heard Katy ask, as she wound her hand inside Black's joining him out on the grounds one sunny afternoon. They students had all been encouraged to go outside as it was likely to be the last sunny weekend of the year.

"Nice try, Kate but I am not so easily bought." He said grinning.

"Well it was worth a shot." Katy shrugged, kissed him once and ran off to join Mary who was sitting under the tree they usually went to.

"Wait, Katy!" Black called. Katy kept going, but Lily could see the smiled on her face and knew Katy had heard Black. "Katy!" he shouted and she finally stopped running, cocking her head to the side as if she wasn't sure she had heard anything. "Katy, where are you going?" He said, catching up to her.

"I was going to join Mary." Katy pointed in obvious confusion that Lily didn't buy for a minute towards where Mary was sitting, clearly not paying any attention to Katy, which did not honestly help her case.

"Really?" Black asked grinning at Katy.

"Well, you didn't want to talk. You refused to answer my one, small, tiny, simple question, so I thought I would go see what Mary is doing. Besides, it seems like you four are working hard on Operation X, as I like to think of it, so perhaps you should find the others and get back to work." She beamed at him. "Laziness is really a bad habit." He snorted at her.

"Practice what you preach, Katycakes." He said.

"Where did you hear that?" She said, frowning and Lily felt herself turning red for her friend. She decided to start walking over to join them. She would hate it if her boyfriend started making up weird nicknames for her.

"James may have mentioned it a few times." Black said, looking at the ground.

"I see." Katy said, looking around the grounds. "And where, pray tell, is dear James?"

"Oh, come on, I think it's a cute name. Just like you." He said smiling at her but she just smirked back at him.

"I'm not so easily bought." She said triumphantly.

"Okay, you win." He laughed. "But I do like that nickname. It seems just like something James would come up with." Lily stopped in her tracks. _Potter_ came up with Katycakes? And Katy allowed him to continue calling him that?

"Katycakes?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows as she got up to the two of them.

"James used to call me that when we were younger." She grinned. "But he hasn't in like five years, so I don't know why Sirius is."

"I told you, it just fits." He kissed her forehead and Lily frowned at him. Katy gave Lily a look but Lily didn't really mind. She couldn't help her feelings, she liked who she liked and she didn't like who she didn't like.

"So you really won't tell me what you lot are doing?" Katy asked again.

"Nope, sorry Katy. I'll tell you sometime later. When we have the kinks worked out and we know it works and there is no trouble and we have about a million discussions about whether we can tell anyone, then sure, I can probably tell you."

"How long will this kink fixing take?"

"Depends."

"Has you been successful with it ever?"

"Only James has, me and Peter haven't." He frowned.

"What about Remus?" Lily asked, confused that he had been left out and surprised he wasn't the first one to get it.

"Oh… he got it a long time ago." Black said, not making eye contact, clearly afraid he had given something away but Lily was stumped.

"Then why was he so happy when you all figured it out?" Katy asked.

"Cause then we can do the thing that it is with him…?" Black said uncertainly and made it a question at the end. Lily shook her head and raised her eyebrows at him.

"You aren't sure though?" Katy asked giggling.

"No, I'm pretty sure this will help Remus rather a lot." He grinned and suddenly Lily remembered hearing the four boys trying to come up with a way to help Remus the previous year.

"That's what this is!" She said excitedly. "Remember, Katy? How they spent all of last year trying to come up with a way to help Remus? This must be it!" Lily glanced at Black and his rather trapped expression told her she was right.

"Is this because," Katy paused and looked around, making sure they were alone. They were, but she dropped her voice anyway. "he's a werewolf?" Black looked any direction except for Katy and Lily and Lily knew she had been right.

"Wait," She frowned, spotting the only flaw in her idea. "How can you help a werewolf? Being a werewolf in incurable. And if it wasn't, I doubt Remus would leave the task up to three fifteen year old boys."

"This is true, but we have no intention of curing it." Black said slowly, carefully choosing his words.

"Then how are you going to help?" Katy asked.

"We have our ways…" he said mysteriously and then grinned. Lily rolled her eyes, but Katy apparently found it funny and for the first time, Lily realized she had been wrong that Katy's eyes were only happy when she was laughing, they were also happy when she was with Black. Lily couldn't fathom why spending time with him made Katy so happy, but, she told herself, if the shoe fits, wear it.

_Gee can you guess what it is? hahahahahaha no DUH.  
but don't worry, les filles (the girls en francais) won't find out about the who animagus deal for a while. at least till the end of the year i think. and i rather think just Katy will find out and then sworn to secrecy... hmmm_

_tootles!  
Lily_


	31. Chapter 30

_So I think I should get some sort of prize... this chapter is over 7,000 words long. and that's without my little note here. and sure, sure, other authors may have longer chapter than this, but do i care right now? that would be a no. _

_well enough of me..._

Chapter 30  
_Katy_

Katy was determined to find out how exactly Sirius and James had deluded themselves into thinking they could help Remus. It seemed like whatever it was they were doing had been the idea of the ringleaders of four Marauders. Katy always laughed when she thought of them like that. It was such a funny name to come up with, but something James and Sirius would do and be completely serious about, and they were about their name.

Remus apparently didn't have to do anything for their new idea, but at least it seemed like it wasn't a huge prank so it might not be breaking any rules. (_A/N: I agree with Katy there. I doubt there is anything in the Hogwarts student code book or official rule book or whatever you want to call it that says "Students may not become unregistered animagi") _Probably the only reason they wouldn't tell was because it would give away Remus' secret.

A few days after talking with Sirius, Katy found Lily inside enough books to practically create a small cave.

"What on earth are you looking up?" She asked, a bit alarmed by the number of books.

"Information of werewolves." Lily said, without looking up from the book she was currently buried in.

"For what?"

"I want to see if I can find out if there are any known ways to help a werewolf." Lily glanced up at Katy and grinned. "I know I should just leave them alone, but this whole thing has just gotten under my skin."

"Me too." Katy said, curling up inside the books as well. "Can I help?" Lily nodded. Katy picked up a book, ready to find the answer. "Have you found anything at all?"

"Well, one book said they thought that just like any animal a werewolf would be happier among other wolves, or animals but obviously no one is going to test that theory because it would involve putting an innocent animal in grave danger."

"Yeah, that would be really stupid…" Katy shook her head, and opened her own book.

**There is no known cure for the werewolf  
right now and it is unlikely there ever will  
be one. Nothing is known to help the were-  
wolf during transformation. **

**No one works with werewolves because  
they are Dark, dangerous creatures who  
should be avoided. If you suspect  
someone around you may be a werewolf,  
immediately contact the Dept. of Magic  
Creatures and have them send the****  
dangerous creature detainment squad. **

**It is important these people be taken out of  
normal society for the safety of the regular  
witch or wizard.**

"This is disgusting." Katy said, scowling at the open book in front of her. "According to this, we should get the Department of Magical Creatures' dangerous creatures' squad to come and cart Remus off to some terrible place for our own safety."

"I vote no." Lily said with a smile and distastefully moved the book from Katy's hands to a pile that looked suspiciously like what might be a discard pile. "It's the same with most of the books, all they say is how awful werewolves are and what a danger to society they are and how we should ship them a remote island where they can all kill each other and not harm and decent people." Lily made a face and went back to her book.

By the end of the evening, they had searched through every single book Lily had found in the library that would have something to do with werewolves and they only found two that said perhaps werewolves would be less dangerous if they were around other wolves, but they said that obviously no one had tried and there were extreme warnings not to.

"What were you guys doing all night?" Remus asked when they finally immerged from the small structure made of books they had been inside of.

"Discovering your secret." Katy said brightly while Lily muttered something to the floor.

"But you know my secret…" Remus eyed them warily. "What on earth do you think is my other secret?"

"Not that secret." Katy said grinning. "We're trying to find out what exactly Sirius and James can do to help you." Remus blanched.

"No!" He said loudly. "Please don't. It will get them in trouble if you do, that's all I'll say."

"You know, Remus, if you'd wanted us to give it up, you should have told us it was really boring or made up something that was really boring. Now that we know it's against the rules, we've got to found what it is!" Katy said firmly and Lily nodded her assent.

"Oh Merlin, fine, but you better not tell James or Sirius I told you it would get them in trouble." He said frowning.

"Why? Sirius told me you already know how to do what they are trying to do. So why does it matter what you tell us? It's not like if you four get caught you won't be able to do it anymore. Besides if you aren't actually doing it, then you can't get in trouble, right?" Katy said and Remus seemed to shrink as she said it. Katy did not understand why this idea was so unappealing to him, it made perfect sense to her.

"No, I'd get in trouble." When Katy gave him a look in protest, he looked somewhat wildly around for an escape and much to his relief and Katy's displeasure, Lily offered something for him.

"Oh, 'cause you're a prefect?" She nodded, not noticing the glares she was receiving from Katy or the genuine smiles from Remus. "Yeah, I guess it's good you aren't trying to get in trouble."

"Lily!" Katy hissed when Remus had fled, afraid of being interrogated some more. "Why did you say that? I want to hear his explanation."

"What?" Lily asked, she apparently did not understand the seriousness of what she had just done.

"When you were like 'oh, cause you're a prefect?' you gave him a perfect reason that was not the real reason so we didn't get to hear his own pathetic attempt at one that might have given away more about what they are doing!"

"Oh…" Lily said frowning. "Oh well. If Potter and Black can figure it out, we can too." She added determinedly.

"Lily, they're actually a lot smarter than you give them credit for." Katy said with her hands on her hips.

"Maybe." Lily grinned.

* * *

One week later, the weather was cold and snowy and Katy and Lily were no closer to figuring out what Sirius and James thought they were helping Remus by doing.

"Lily?" Katy said, exhausted, they had been in the library for the whole afternoon and Katy was about ready to jump off a cliff. "I give up." Lily looked over and frowned at her. "Please? I don't really need to know anymore. And I'm sure that if we think hard enough, they've said plenty to give things away we just weren't paying attention."

"I don't know… we've been thinking about this for so long, don't you think we'd have realized if there was something major we hadn't thought of?"

"Yes," Katy began slowly. "But I think that Sirius gave us a huge clue the first time he talked to us about it." Lily looked up questioningly. "That Remus can already do it. The only thing I can think of that is related to a werewolf that Remus can do that the others can't, is turn into one."

"Yes, but I don't think the plan is to have Remus bite the other three. Besides, in that same conversation, Black said that Potter had already succeeded. Which means it is something they have to accomplish by themselves. Now where is _The Complete Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures_? I haven't been able to find it for like a week, and it was the only one that mentioned anything positive about werewolves."

"Lily, you don't think they might be trying to learn how to transfigure themselves into wolves, do you?" Katy said and Lily looked up, seriously alarmed. "Because Remus already can, and maybe they also found the book, maybe they took the book, or maybe _The Encyclopedia_ is the big book that they were so happy about a while ago."

"It could be…" Lily said thoughtfully. "But I don't know they could. Just transfiguring their physical appearances wouldn't work; a werewolf would still be able to tell they were human. They would have to really become an animal." Lily was furiously picking up books and pushing them aside, trying to find the large volume that she was looking for. "It's just not here."

"Why do you want it? Don't we already know what it says?" Katy asked.

"I want to know if it says anything about other animals, and if there is anything about people becoming animals." She said quickly without looking up from the various books she was pawing through.

"Are you supposed to be doing research on human-animal transformations, Miss Evans?" Madame Pince, the librarian came walking over. Katy didn't look up, she knew her face would clearly show they weren't doing research.

"Yes, we are. Do you have any suggestions on where to look?" Lily asked, Katy was surprised, Lily didn't usually lie to professors, she didn't usually lie to anyone and she said that one with no qualms.

"Well, we have a book over here," Madame Pince said, beginning to walk over to an aisle that they had not been up. "That is about the Animagus transformation." She got the book off the shelf and handed it to Lily who looked confused.

"What's an Animagus?" Lily asked after Madame Pince left.

"You know I just love it when I know something you don't!" Katy grinned.

"Just tell me what it is." Lily said scowling playfully.

"It's a wizard who can turn into an animal at will. Like McGonagall, remember? She turned into a cat. That's her Animagus. Everyone has one animal, like sort of your 'inner animal' I think, but I'm not sure. I don't know very much about them because they are really hard to become and it's really easy for something to go wrong in the transformation when you are learning how. So they make it so that you have to apply with the Ministry and they help you through it and you have to register, it's against the law to be an unregistered Animagus."

"D'you think-"

"No way this is what they are doing. You can get badly injured doing this and I've heard that it's especially hard for underage wizards to do it and I'm pretty sure that if something goes wrong with it, it is possible to be stuck in your animal form or in half of your animal for or even a small part of it, but it would be sort of hard to explain if Sirius, James or Peter suddenly had a tail, or fuzzy ears on the top of their head."

"Yeah, but Potter and Black would probably just assume they were good enough wizards to get it." Lily said, raising her eyebrows at Katy.

"Maybe, but I still don't think they're doing this. Remus wouldn't go for it."

"True." Lily nodded. "We shouldn't forget about this though. Maybe we should ask them, just to see their reaction?" Katy grinned.

"That's brilliant. Only we shouldn't ask Sirius or James, they'd just change the subject or blow it off and we'd never know anything."

"That's terrible," Lily grinned at her. "asking the two you know might tell you. Brilliant, but terrible."

"Why thank you."

"Never going to happen." James came out from the aisle nearest them. "Nice theory though." He grinned wickedly.

"You were listening?" Lily cried, outraged.

"Don't worry, Evans, it wouldn't have happened anyway. You two have got Peter terrified because he knows you want to know what we're doing, so won't go anywhere without one of the other three of us with him and Remus was oh so pleased when you gave him the prefect excuse. He's just going to tell you that he can't say anything because he doesn't want to get in trouble and so he's not going to talk about it. And Katy you were correct, you won't get a straight answer out or me or Sirius, so just give it up."

"Prat." Muttered Katy and Lily was staring up at James, looking mutinous.

"Fine then, we'll figure it out somehow, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, Potter, but you and Black are not the most subtle of people." Lily smiled sweetly at him and turned back to her books, glaring fiercely at her page.

"You know, I think that's the first time she's ever given me a nice look." James said thoughtfully to Katy who started giggling.

"Well she does despise you rather a lot." Katy said, glancing at Lily who was practically seething, her face about an inch from the book as she threw angry looks at James.

"I hadn't noticed." James said with a grin, sitting down at the empty chair at the table they were sitting at. "So what exactly are we doing?" He picked up the nearest book and began rifling through it.

"We're looking up werewolves to see how they could be helped. We found something that said werewolves would likely be less dangerous if they were around other wolves but that no one has tried and no one ever should. Mostly it's all just rubbish saying they should be carted off for the regular person's safety." Katy said distastefully. James' look echoed her feelings.

"It's terrible, isn't it? So what have you two discovered?" He asked smiling.

"Well," Katy was enjoying herself though it was clear Lily was using all her self control not to hex James. "We talked about the idea that you three were trying to change into animals, but Lily says that changing your physical appearance wouldn't work and that you would really have to become an animal and then Madame Pince gave us this book about Animagi. But I said I didn't think that was what you were doing," Katy glanced at James as she said this, but he kept his face unresponsive. "Because of all the problems and bad side-effects it can have." She finished without stopping in the middle, hoping to seem as inconspicuous as possible.

"You're really intent on finding out what we're doing aren't you?" He asked her, he seemed surprised at the length they had gone to find out the prank or plan or whatever it was.

"Yes, but if you would just tell us what it is, we wouldn't have to."

"I can't, Kate."

"Why not?" She asked. "And I want a real answer."

"Alright, because if anyone finds out, we will be erased from existence."

"That isn't a real answer, and if it is and this thing of yours will obliterate you if it doesn't work out, I would advise stopping."

"Well, the thing itself wouldn't, but McGonagall would, right after my mum murdered me."

"Then don't do it!" Katy said, she was starting to be seriously fed up with the whole business.

"Remus needs us to. And I want to." James said stubbornly.

"Well, on your own head be it." Katy grinned at him and he shrugged back. "Lily, how do you want your award?" Katy asked, turning to Lily who was turning blue with held in anger.

"My what?" She said, staring at Katy in a worried fashion.

"Your award for not saying anything nasty to James." Katy said. "You can have it as a medal to be worn around your neck or a plaque. It's totally up to you." She started laughing and it had the effect on Lily she had been hoping for, Lily's face lost its tenseness and she began laughing too.

"Katy," James said, suddenly serious. "Are you going home for Christmas?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure my dad will make me." Katy said dully.

"You don't want to?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows in question.

"No, it's going to be really depressing, trying to have a…" Katy broke off, feeling confused, and then felt tears forming in her eyes, and she tried to fight them back. "Have a… normal family Christmas without Mum."

"Oh." Lily said, looking down.

"Please tell me you're going home too, James." Katy said, looking hopefully at James.

"Yeah, my mum sent me a letter saying she would disown me if I didn't come home." He snorted. "The next day I got a letter saying she would never, never disown me because I mean so much to her and she was so, so, so sorry and signed it 'I love you' about a million times." Katy giggled. "But I still have to go home for Christmas." He added.

"Thank Merlin, I wouldn't have been able to deal with two weeks with my dad and sister. That would just about drive me mad."

"Well, not too far to go as it is." James said with a grin. Lily snorted but didn't look up.

"Oh ha ha." Katy said, frowning at him.

* * *

As the Hogwarts Express steamed to a halt at Kings Cross station, Sirius pulled Katy back into the compartment as everyone else left.

"I want my kiss goodbye." He said smiling at her. "And if my parents saw me kissing a Cupit, I think they'd just about hex me into oblivion."

"Well we wouldn't want that, now would we?" Katy grinned and kissed him.

"Oi, are you two done yet?" James reappeared in the compartment a few minutes later, startling both of them. "Your dad is getting ready to come on board and find you if you don't get out here soon." He said to Katy who was turning extremely pink. Sirius just laughed, and pulled Katy off the train.

She hugged her friends goodbye, promised to send them all letters and presents, got crushed by the weight of both her father and Mrs. Potter hugging her and got into the back seat of the car with her sister, thoroughly dreading the next two weeks.

Katy's father followed the Potter's as they drove home; apparently he still hadn't found a house. Katy suspected he wasn't looking very hard and that the idea of moving away from where they had lived was unappealing to him.

They pulled into the driveway behind them and had barely gotten inside when there was a knock on the door. Katy was anxious to get away from the stares the adults were giving her, she could tell both James and Lucie shared those sentiments when all three of them bolted to the door to answer it.

Katy was greeted with a rather strange sight.

"I thought Muggles celebrated Halloween at the same time we did." She whispered to James while Lucie stammered an attempt at a greeting to the man on the front porch. He was wearing quite the strangest outfit Katy had ever seen. He had a small pointed hat of red and green on his head and a tunic-like getup that was red on one half and at the large buttons down the middle changed to green on the other half. It was sort of a long shirt and sort of a very short dress. He had red and green tights on that were the opposite of the tunic and pointed shoes with bells on the toes. Katy didn't think James had heard her whisper to him, he looked thoroughly alarmed by what was standing in front of him.

"Hello…" Katy said timidly when neither of the other two seemed able to say anything.

"Happy Christmas!" The strange man almost shouted, he didn't seem fazed by his less than welcoming reception.

"Can… can we help you?" Katy tried again.

"I am collecting money for a children's shelter." He said, losing the overly happy cheer that was clearly fake. "And it would be appreciated if you would donate some money to the children."

"Um, yes, just a moment." Katy said, eyes wide as she tried to think of how to fix this. They would seem ungrateful if they didn't give anything. "James," she hissed, pulling him behind the door. "Do you guys have any Muggle money?" James shrugged.

"Probably somewhere. You keep him happy and I'll go ask my parents."

"So," Lucie was saying. "what exactly are you supposed to be?"

"I'm an elf." He replied, giving them a look that made Katy sure that a Muggle would have known and that they were supposed to also. James snorted and ran off. "One of Santa's helpers." He looked sort of confused that she hadn't picked up on that. Muggles, Katy thought with a grin, they come up with the weirdest ideas. And who made them think elves looked like that?

"We're not a very traditional family." Katy said quickly and the man nodded.

"Do you not celebrate Christmas?" he said with a knowing tone in his voice.

"No, no we do. We're just pretty different than most of the other people around here." Katy said, thinking that at least it wasn't a lie.

"Oh." Said the man, he seemed unsure how to respond to that. "Well if you'd like me to leave…"

"No, no!" Katy said a little too fiercely and the man stepped back a bit. "We want to help the children. I believe my friend is just asking his parents for some money to give you."

"Oh, this isn't your house?" he asked and Katy shook her head. "You aren't from around here?" He didn't even wait for her to respond; apparently they didn't get the option of being from the area. "There was a dreadful accident around here over the summer, just up this road, have your friends told you the stories they tell in town about the people who used to live up the road?" He asked, looking ready to begin telling ghost stories. Lucie paled, but Katy's attention was caught.

"No, we haven't been told. What are they?" She asked, curious about what the Muggles were saying had happened.

"Well, the police told everyone there was some sort of explosion, gas leak or something like that. But the people in the town say it was murder, that the place is haunted and that there was always something funny about the family living it." Katy stiffened and she felt her sister's scowl. "Apparently they never went anywhere in town, kept to themselves, and the grocer says they never once came into town for groceries so I guess they shunned the town and the few times they did come into town it was obvious they didn't know the first thing about normal life. But they say the whole family was murdered and now haunt the ruins of the house and no one will go near it. But the weirdest thing is, they all claim to have seen an eerie green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth floating above the house on the night of the murder." The man looked as if he was really enjoying himself. Katy was not sure at all what to do or say.

"Have you lived here long?" She squeaked. "Did you ever meet the family?"

"Nah, I just moved here about a month ago." He said. "Nice place."

"Yeah…" Katy said, her mouth dry. Everyone in the area thought she was dead. "So they think the whole family was killed?" She had to make sure. "I thought I heard it was just the mother. My friend… mentioned it to me." She said, staring hard at the man.

"Yup, all five of them dead. Two daughters and a son. Well, no, I've heard some people think the son survived because he had already moved out of the house. But everyone knows that the other four died."

"Did they ever find the bodies?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, there was a funeral for the mother, lots of funny looking people showed up for that, or so I heard, I wasn't here then. But I guess most of the guests were wearing funny clocks and dress-like things, even the men!" Katy privately thought that this man had no right to be making fun of the way anyone dressed, considering what he was wearing. "But they never found the other three bodies, that's why they think the house in haunted. Also plenty of debates about why a funeral wasn't held for the father and two daughters."

"What do they think about the Dar- snake thing?" Katy started to say 'Dark Mark' but stopped by a rather painful pinch from her sister.

"That's the haunting, everyone's afraid it will come back. People still look up in this direction with fear, I'm surprised your friends haven't moved, most everyone else on this street has. It would help me too; coming up here gives me the chills."

"Do you know the names of the family?" Lucie asked, much to Katy's surprise, she assumed Lucie didn't fully believe the man.

"Well there's some discussion about that, about half the people say it was Wood, half say it was Cupid, you know, like the little baby with the bow and arrow, weird, right?" The man shook his head and Katy grinned, Muggles always got mixed up when they heard the name Cupit. "I personally believe the Wood side of town, never heard of having 'Cupid' as a last name. But I don't think very many people knew the names of the rest of the family. I think one daughter was Lila or Lulu, some two syllable name with an 'L' but no idea on the rest of the family." Katy glanced at Lucie who was visibly retreating into the hallway, afraid perhaps of being recognized.

"Does anyone remember what they looked like?" She asked timidly.

"Well, from what I've heard they didn't come into town, but you sort of match the descriptions I think. Blonde curls, blue eyes, but then, there's plenty of blonde haired blue eyes girls in England." He smiled at her and she nodded her head uncertainly. "So I'd say your safe to go into town." He added with a grin, he was clearly joking with her, but Katy was getting more and more nervous with each word. "You really should have your friends take you into town. It's a lovely little village." She nodded her head and mumbled something about that they might go look around town some other time.

Suddenly the living room door opened and they could hear the conversation from inside the house.

"Mum, we've got to give this guy some Muggle money. We can't shove a pile of galleons at him, what would he think of us then? Besides, poor thing, he deserves some money. Oh, and as he's leaving try to get a good look at his outfit, I've never seen a Muggle dressed like that before and he says he's an elf." James was gasping through his laughter. Katy turned to look at the man who James was talking about who looked, amused, confused and rather offended.

"Sorry, but, what's a Muggle?" He asked. "I rather like to know what people are calling me." He frowned at Lucie who seemed to shrink, Katy sighed, Lucie had never been good at dealing with Muggles, she always seemed to offend them or almost tell them too much.

"Well, Muggle is just a… a term that James, he's our friend, used when he was a kid. Um… like for… grown up. I think he may have gotten it from… from 'man' but I'm not sure and he just sometimes says it. And he calls money 'Muggle money' because he's used to adults having money." Katy mumbled, looking at the floor. A quick glance up told her the man didn't really believe her but didn't want to question her about it. Katy suspected he was seriously regretting ever knocking on the Potter's front door. Suddenly Mrs. Potter turned around, clearly surprised to see the front door open and the unknown Muggle, Katy and Lucie there and she raised her eyebrows in shock at the man and his outfit.

"Hello." She said, extending her hand in greeting, although a little timidly. "I'm Mrs. Potter; my son tells me you are collecting money for charity." The man nodded, glad to have located a grown-up. "Yes, well, let me see." She began digging through her purse and Katy saw the elf-man's eyes widen when she went sifting through a handful of solid gold coins. Katy had heard that gold was rare and valuable in the Muggle world.

"Here you are sir." Mrs. Potter said, giving the man some money, although Katy had never understood Muggle money and so had no idea how much Mrs. Potter had given him.

"Thank you, thank you very much, ma'am. Have a wonderful Christmas!" The man said excitedly, bouncing around for a bit and then when Lucie opened her mouth to say something, the poor man practically fled from the house.

"I hope I gave him enough." Mrs. Potter fretted. "I don't really know how much Muggle money is worth."

"I think you gave him a lot. Did you see how happy he was?" Lucie said shrugging. "But who cares. I just wanted to ask where he got his outfit." She giggled. "I think we should have all elves be required to wear outfits like that."

"Lucie, that's not very nice, poor man, what did you lot do to him? He ran out of here, looking warily at you two, what on earth happened?" Mrs. Potter said, looking like she was torn between scolding and curiosity.

"Nothing!" Katy said. "We just asked him what he was supposed to be dressed up as and things like that. But I guess we were supposed to know already… and then he started telling us what the Muggles say happened to us."

"What do you mean?" James frowned at her, coming out of the living room.

"All about the family that, according to the Muggles, were all killed. Well, they think Jason may have survived cause they know he had already moved out. But they think Dad, Lucie and I all were murdered. And they all saw the Dark Mark and think the house is haunted, especially since they didn't find bodies for Dad, Lucie or I. And they always apparently thought our family was a bit weird and they love to discuss how weird all the funeral guests were and why there wasn't a funeral for the other three deceased people." James and Mrs. Potter were both staring at Katy, mouths open in shock.

"Merlin's pants…" James muttered. "And to think I missed that."

"Well, we did hear you tell your mum about how weird he was and Katy had to make some sort of rubbish story for why you called him a Muggle." Lucie said grinning.

"James!" Mrs. Potter said, frowning at her son who was arranging his face in his "I'm so innocent" expression. "You've got to be much more careful when you talk around Muggles. And that face hasn't worked on me since you were seven, what makes you think it will work now?" she scolded, but she was smiling.

"Hey, it's always worth trying!" He said brightly.

The rest of Christmas passed in a blur of everyone trying to act normal and enjoy themselves and pretend there wasn't a huge gap where Mrs. Cupit should have been. Christmas morning was rather painful and no one wanted to stay congregated around the tree for long. After wolfing down breakfast, they all ran outside into the snow and spent the morning having a snowball fight to keep their minds off other, more painful things.

By the time Katy sat down on a seat in the Hogwarts Express, she was emotionally drained and glad to be getting away from her family.

"How was your Christmas?" Sirius said, sitting next to her and kissing her softly.

"It was awful." Sirius looked at her questioningly. "It all started with a Muggle dressed like a demented elf telling me a horror story that the Muggles in the town by my house tell about my family. According to all of them, I'm dead and haunting the remains of my house. Then the rest of the holiday had everybody pretending that my mum wasn't gone and that it was just the same as every other Christmas."

"Oh, Katy." He said sadly and kissed her again. "Well, my mum didn't speak to me for the entire first week because Regulus told her that you and I are going out. And she pretty much only said 'Good morning' and "Good night' the second week." He shook his head. "So we both had bad Christmases."

"We could start a club." Katy said with fake enthusiasm and liberal amounts of sarcasm.

"You suggested that last year." He said with a grin.

"When?" Katy said, she didn't remember starting a bad holiday club.

"When I gave you those Charmed chocolates." He said sheepishly. "You suggested that we start a club for the two of us because we liked each other."

"Sirius Black!" Katy said, frowning at him. "You're a terrible person." She giggled when she said it, but continued to try to look cross.

"Finally we found you!" James came bursting through the door, followed by Remus, Peter, Mary and Aimy.

"Where's Lily?" Katy asked.

"She's with-" Marty started and James interrupted her.

"Snape…" He muttered angrily and the five of them sat down in various parts of the compartment where they spent an enjoyable ride back to Hogwarts.

* * *

Katy came hurrying down the stairs from the dormitory to the common room one evening, looking for her Potions book.

"No way, that is the most revolting thing I have ever heard!" Lily wrinkled her nose at Mary who was grinning and Aimy was giggling so hard that she was attracting some odd stares.

"What is the most revolting thing you have ever heard?" Katy walked up to the three of them, quite confused. The Potions book was immediately put out of her mind.

"Allen Fletcher asked Mary out!" Aimy gasped through her laughter. Katy agreed, that was revolting.

"Allen Fletcher? Oh, Mary, I'm so sorry. When did he do it?" She sat down, ready to gossip.

"Earlier today, he just sort of came up to me in the hall after Charms. You had gone ahead with Sirius, and Lily had darted off cause James was less than about twenty feet away from her-" Lily shoved Mary and then Mary continued. "-and so it was just me and Aimy and he just walked up and asked me 'Would I please agree to be his girlfriend?'" Mary imitated Allen's low voice and then dissolved into giggles again.

"Oh, Merlin. I wish I was there. I never get to see anything fun!"

"Well, tell Sirius you want nothing to do with him anymore because he makes it so that you don't see creeps ask out your friends." Aimy suggested as if were the most reasonable thing in the world.

"Oh, yes, that would go great…" Katy raised her eyebrows at Aimy and started laughing, imagining Sirius's response if she told him that.

"What would go great?" Sirius himself came at just that time.

"Me telling you to bug off cause I want to be able to see hopeless weirdo's with no life ask out my friends."

"Oh, that's just fine, I was actually going to tell you the same thing." Sirius grinned and Katy decided he needed someone to hit him. She also decided she was the best one for the job.

"Well aren't you charming." She grinned at him.

"You were going to say it first, Kate." Sirius hit her back.

"Hey now, you should never hit a poor, defenseless girl." She tried to look poor and defenseless, but knew it was probably not working.

"Yeah, a poor defenseless girl with a wand in her pocket." Sirius snorted.

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?" Katy tried to look confused.

"If you guys are done flirting… great. If not, I think I'll tootle on over to the other side of the room." Lily tapped Katy on the shoulder.

"Lily!" She grinned, but felt herself turning pink.

Remus came over just then and asked for Aimy and Lily to help him figure something out. They went over with Remus to the other side of the room, both looking interestedly at something Katy couldn't see.

"You know you're in a public place right?" Mary giggled. "Don't get too…" Mary trailed off, she didn't seem to know quite the right word and Katy knew she was turning pinker and pinker. Mary didn't ever come up with what they shouldn't "get too" of but continued anyway. "…or I will be forced to separate you and I have a very handy pillow that does the job quite well."

"Yes, we know, Mary. You hit me with it a few days ago." Katy glared, but she didn't care. It had all been rather funny.

"Well, I think we should bring a bit of class back to this place."

"And you're doing that by hitting people on the back of the head with a pillow? Where on earth did you get your definition of class, Mary Macdonald?" Sirius pretended to look concerned, but Mary just laughed and walked to the other side of the room to join Lily, Aimy and Remus.

Katy allowed herself to feel guilty for her friends leaving for about ten seconds before Sirius pulled her on the couch and began kissing her. She always felt her mind sort of fall out when she was kissing him. She could just be happy, there was no thinking about her mother's death, even the hollow pain that was always with her was dulled when she was in this happy state of nothingness.

Katy was brought out of her bliss by a loud and indignant screech. She was immediately on guard, unfortunately having been making out with someone just a moment earlier, meant that she and Sirius collided rather painfully and by the time she had sat up straight and regained the ability to focus her eyes there was a lot of laughter coming from all over the common room aimed in the direction of where Katy's friends had gone a few minutes earlier.

"How dare you ask me that James Potter! I hate you, I hate you!" Lily was standing up waving her wand around, almost absentmindedly but she was sending various objects hurtling around the room. Katy ginned at Sirius, she had a pretty good idea what James had just asked Lily.

"Come on, Lily, one date." He smiled at her and she practically started growling at him.

"I never want to speak to you again, Potter! Leave me alone!" She then sat down very quickly and awkwardly and it took Katy a few seconds to realize that Aimy or Mary, or possible both had probably pulled her back to the floor.

"Lily, don't kill anyone." Mary snickered. She was clearly enjoying this. Aimy looked disapproving.

"No! let me kill him, please let me kill him." Lily said, quite loudly. Katy looked at James and was not surprised to see that he didn't look at all embarrassed or sorry.

Katy looked at Sirius who was roaring with laughter. Looking back at the scene in front of her, Katy was disappointed, but not surprised, to see Lily stand up again, attempting to maintain some dignity and flounced up the stairs to the girls' dorm room.

Everyone burst out laughing after hearing the door slam shut from upstairs. Katy laughed with everyone else but when Lily didn't return for another ten minutes, Katy got a little worried and went upstairs.

"Lily!" Katy was alarmed to find Lily laying face-down on her bed, her head buried in her pillow, sobbing her eyes out. "Lily what on earth in the matter?"

"I… don't, and he said… and then I… and…. Potter… and we aren't… and I don't know!" Lily wailed incoherently. Katy raised her eyebrows and then forcibly rolled Lily over onto her back so that she would be understandable.

"What was that?" Katy asked and Lily frowned. "Lily, do you like him?"

"I don't know." Lily answered, plainly confused. "I don't. I know I don't. He's a prat." She said crossly.

"Then why are you so sad, Lil?" Katy asked, hugging Lily.

"I have no idea. Honestly, Kate. I got up here and I was angry and then all of a sudden I started crying and I don't know why."

"So you don't think you like him?" Katy asked tentatively.

"No I don't!" Lily said fiercely.

"Okay!" Katy said, quickly. She didn't much feel like arguing with Lily.

_Yay! First use of a chapter that I wrote months ago! Well, just one scene from this chapter. If you review and/or guess which chapter I will send a box of cauldron cakes!_

_Lily_


	32. Chapter 31

_I really like this chapter... quite fun! and i'm still not JKR. how depressing..._

_BakTracQ: Do not worry at all. I hate it when people make Lily and her friends Animagi also... it's just so lame. They aren't part of the Marauders! They hate the Marauders! Well, haha not in my story, but I am not even planning on having Katy become an Animagus. They refuse to tell her what they are doing, so she'll just have to use that brain of hers (although this chapter is bad for showing how smart she is) and figure it out on her own._

_Alexac14: I am so glad you like it! I really enjoy writing it. and to you and everyone else (particularly those who have reviewed) any suggestions of if i mess up on something JKR said, critisms, althought i'd rather no flames, please please they are welcome! _

_i really want to know what everyone thinks!_

_there is some note writing so here is how it works: Katy, _Lily, **James,** **_Aimy_**

Chapter 31  
_Lily_

Lily Evans did not have a crush on James Potter. That was unheard of, unacceptable and Lily was determined to make sure that no one thought that she did.

**Hey Evans.**

Lily frowned at the note Potter sent her during Charms about a week after he tried to ask her out.

Not right now Potter. Please just let me be. At least wait till after class, then I can run away.

She knew her reply was kind of harsh, but she didn't really care. Lily wanted Potter out of her face.

**Come on, give me a chance Evans. Just go on one date with me.**

Lily glared at Potter and ripped the note into a million pieces. He grinned back at her and she scowled and looked away. Glancing to her right, she saw Katy scribble something and hand it to Potter. He grinned at the parchment and for the next ten minutes Lily watched with near frantic curiosity as they passed that parchment back and forth between the two of them. Lily was immensely glad that Katy had it with her at the end of Charms and Lily made herself a mental note to try to look at it later.

Lily sort of suspected Katy knew that she was curious. She reread it after class, frowning and when Mary asked what it was about; Katy wouldn't let her read it. That night, Katy went to bed early, but she left her bag sitting on the chair she had been working in. Lily pounced on it and found the note immediately.

_So why did you ask Lily out?_ Lily was glad she found the note when it started like this.

**Well, I like her. Haven't you been telling me that forever?**

_Well yeah, but I didn't think you'd ever ask her out. You must know that she detests you._ Lily thought "detest" was a rather strong word, but she wouldn't deny that it wasn't true if her life depended on it.

**Of course I'm going to ask her out!** Lily was sort of suspicious about what Potter meant by that.

_Was that in future tense?_

**What do you mean?**

_As in you are going to ask her out again?_

**Yup, I'd say so!** Lily's heart sank at that. She really didn't want him to ask her out again.

_So how many times are you planning on getting shot down?_

**As many as it takes, Katycakes, as many as it takes.** That really didn't help her mood.

_Well, I'd just like to be able to see them all. Please please please!_

**Oh definitely, I'll owl you when I decide to ask her out. Just so you know. It'll be like "Evans, could you just wait here for a minute while I send your friend a message telling her to get over here? Great! Now let's just wait for her to arrive."** Against her will, Lily thought that was sort of funny.

_Oh that would go great…_

**So I should try?**

_Definitely._

**I thought so.**

_Are you really going to ask her out again?_

**Yup!**

_I really don't get it…_

**Don't get what?**

_Why she doesn't like you. Well, why she hates your guts._ Again, Lily thought Katy was being a bit harsh.

**Gee thanks, that's really supportive.**

_No I'm serious. I really don't get it._

**Oh well. She'll come around.**

_Will she really?_

**Now don't you worry your pretty little head about any of it.**

_Talking about my "pretty little head" won't help your chances with another girl._ Lily had to agree with that.

**I'm not really all that worried… I don't think there's too much more I can do to make Lily hate me even more.** To her complete surprise, Lily felt a little guilty reading that.

Y_eah, I'm not going to argue with you on that. She does really hate you._

**Do you know why?**

_She told Snape she thinks you are "an arrogant toerag" so I guess she's not so hot on your personality,_

**Wow… an arrogant toerag? Nicely phrased Evans.**

_You really don't care?_

**No, I do. I just am not going to let it affect me because if I did, I would be the biggest pessimist and most depressed person in the whole world. I hope you realize that I know how much Lily hates me.**

Lily didn't want to read anymore. She felt wretched, and she didn't exactly know why. Part of her felt incredibly guilty, because she hadn't realized that Potter really did like her. She had always assumed it was a rather superficial attraction. But most of her was still shook out from him asking her out and mad that he had even considered that she would say yes.

"How come Potter acts like a human around you?" Lily demanded, having gone upstairs to talk with Katy.

"What do you mean?" Katy looked up from the book she was reading.

"Why is he willing to talk to you about real stuff? About how he feels about stuff? And near anyone else he's a complete prat." She said with a frown.

"Well," Katy looked surprised. "I guess because we've been friends for so long. He's basically my brother. Even if my mum was too-" Katy broke off, looking angry with herself. "Even if our parents thought we were secretly in love." She finished quickly.

"Oh." Lily said, not sure if she was supposed to comfort Katy or go back to the subject she had asked about.

* * *

The beginning of February marked the beginning of the fifth month Katy and Black were going out. Lily noticed that many of the girls who at first had cooed about how cute and sweet they were as a couple were starting to shoot them dirty looks when they would pass in the corridor, walking together hand-in-hand. Both of them seemed completely oblivious to the less than pleased looks various other girls were giving them but after a few weeks, Katy had started to notice the different attitude that she was receiving.

"Why do girls hate me?" She asked Lily and Mary one afternoon.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well, see all those girls over there? See how they are giving me dirty looks? Why do like half of the girls in Hogwarts hate me all of a sudden?" She asked. Lily didn't want to give her the real reason. She thought Katy had had enough bad things happen she didn't need everyone to hate her for a superficial reason.

"Well, they're all jealous that you are dating Sirius." Mary said and Lily smacked her head inwardly. "See everyone thought you two would go out for like a month, two at most and then get over each other. Cause you had crushes on each other for a while, they figured it wouldn't take too long for you to realize you like being friends better than dating."

"Wow…" Katy said, frowning at Mary. "Wow, girls are really…" she paused. "…not nice."

"Tell me about it…" Lily frowned. "Half the girls here were all sappy about how sweet it was when you two started dating and now they're your worst enemy."

"Terrific…" Katy said, but she was smiling. "I really don't care. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

By the end of the month, Katy's stance on that subject had changed majorly.

The first girl to help change that chased Katy down the corridors between each class. The girl was a third year Ravenclaw who seemed to be madly in love with Black. She was sending random spells at Katy that never once hit their target and the only thing the Ravenclaw succeeded in doing was sending about ten people to the Hospital Wing.

Two days later, two Hufflepuff girls tried to tell Black they had caught Katy making out with someone else. He didn't believe them and that got them very, very angry. They also spent the rest of the day tracking Katy down and they did succeed in sending her to the Hospital Wing with a bloody nose.

* * *

"Can you believe these people?" Katy asked one night after following Lily out of the common room when she had to do prefect duties.

"No, and please go back to the dorm. It's after curfew. You can't be out here." Lily said.

"No one cares. Besides the only person who can take give me detention is you and I hope you like me enough not to do that." Katy smirked. "Besides, it's nice to walk down the corridor and not worry about getting ambushed."

"Yeah, people are kind of getting really crazy these days." Lily agreed, shaking her head. "Those Hufflepuffs last week were out of control. I can't believe they thought he would believe them." She giggled.

"I was a bit more upset by the whole chasing me and hexing me and sending me to the Hospital wing part of the whole thing, but yeah, that was pretty stupid. Sirius knows I'm not off with other guys."

"Yeah, I guess getting a bloody nose would be a bit worse." Lily said.

"So what exactly do you do on these patrols?" Katy asked.

"Mostly just walk around and make sure there aren't any students out after curfew." Lily shrugged, she hoped she wouldn't run into a teacher and get in trouble for letting Katy walk around with her.

"Sounds kind of boring…"

"Yeah, it is. Sometimes I walk around with Remus though. But I don't think he has patrol tonight." Lily said. "I also walk around with Severus on nights when he has patrol on the same night at I do."

"Does he have it tonight?" Katy asked doubtfully.

"I think he probably does, but we don't have to walk with him, I know you don't want to."

"Thanks." Katy smiled. "So you really just sort of walk around the school at night?" Lily nodded. "Have you ever caught anyone?"

"I've caught your boyfriend more than once." Lily said, raising her eyebrows, but smiling. "It seems like at least once a month, usually more, I catch Black and Potter and sometime Remus and Peter sneaking around. It's weird though… they seem to appear out of the blue most of the time." Katy giggled. "What?"

"James has something that helps them not get caught but I guess he should work on using it a bit better it they're getting caught." Katy said, but refused to elaborate.

They rounded the corner and were greeted with a sight Lily hadn't seen before. Apparently she had been wrong about Remus not being on patrol. Remus and Severus were circling each other, giving each other death glares and they both had their wands pointed directly at the other.

"You know prefects are supposed to set a good example." Katy said lightly. Both of the boys jumped about ten feet and stared open mouthed at Lily and Katy. Severus recovered first.

"You're out after curfew, Cupit, detention." He sneered at her.

"Hey!" Katy sounded outraged.

"It's the rule, Cupit." He smirked.

"It's fine, Katy, I'll get rid of it." Remus said, looking at her and smiling.

"You can't erase detentions, Lupin." Severus said.

"Sev, can you please leave her alone." Lily asked. She was not in the mood to have her friends fight. "Why don't we all just go our separate ways and forget about this?" She said hopefully.

"I am here with Lily. I'm with a prefect, so you can't give me detention!" Katy said firmly. Lily knew there was no such rule saying that and that Katy knew that too, but she wasn't going to counter her. She just wanted to get Katy and Remus in a different part of the castle than Severus.

"Not true. Only when a prefect catches someone and gives them detention and then escorts them back to the common room is the only time that another prefect can't give them detention." He said, frowning at her, but looking triumphant.

"Swallow the rule book?" Katy smirked at him and Severus looked ready to explode.

"Well, I gave her detention." Lily said quickly. "And I am now escorting her back to the common room." Lily hoped with all her heart that Katy wouldn't object and was glad that she didn't.

"Really?" Severus looked at Lily disbelievingly. "You really gave her detention?"

"Yes I did." Lily hated lying to Severus, but she felt like it was necessary.

"Lily, how much longer is your patrol?" Remus asked.

"Another hour and a half I think." Lily looked at her wrist and saw that she didn't have her watch.

"Well, mine ends in half an hour, so I'll get Katy back to Gryffindor Tower." He offered.

"Yeah, okay." Lily said.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Severus said, much too loudly. "He isn't going to make her go back to your common room."

"Yeah I will." Remus said. "Let's go Katy." He grabbed her hand and pulled her away in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. She waved goodbye to Lily and then disappeared around the corner into the Charms corridor.

"Why did you let her come with you?" Severus asked as soon as Katy and Remus were gone.

"Well, I didn't. She just sort of followed me." Lily shrugged. "What in Merlin's name was going on with you and Remus?"

"How can you stand him, Lily?" Severus said, looking intently at her.

"He's really nice. You'd like him if you got to know him, I know it. He's nothing like Potter and Black." Severus didn't look like he believed her. "Really, Sev, he isn't." She added.

"Then why would he hang out with them?" Severus asked, and it almost sounded like a challenge.

"Well," Lily grinned, she had missed having normal conversations with Severus. "Don't you hang out with the other boys in your year in Slytherin? He doesn't really have a choice for who he hangs out with. And I suppose he has got his prankster side so he does enjoy hanging out with them, but really, he's more similar to me than to James Potter."

"Never in a million years will I believe you about that." Severus replied, smiling at her. Lily laughed and in the empty corridor her laugh echoed, booming away from Lily and Severus.

* * *

The next morning, Lily woke up early and, unable to fall asleep again, went downstairs to the common room. After sitting by herself for a little while, Lily decided to go into the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was the only member of the staff present and the High Table, and there were only about five other students in the entire Great Hall. The only other Gryffindor being a seventh year girl who was reading a book at one end of the Gryffindor table. Lily was surprised that there was already food on the platters at the table. She took a roll and chewed on it, watching 

the other students and letter her eyes roam around the other tables and look at the other students who were up early. After a little while, Lily began to get hungrier and ate a real breakfast. She finished before any of the other fifth year Gryffindors were in the Great Hall, but by the time she left about half the students had come in for breakfast.

Where's Katy?

Lily slid the note across the desk to Aimy about ten minutes into Transfiguration, their first class. Lily hadn't seen Katy all morning and was a little concerned when she didn't show up to class.

**_She's in the Hospital Wing… again. Some idiot hexed her for holding hands with Sirius._**

What?? Is she okay?

**_I don't know, Pomphrey kicked me out._**

Well, what did they hit her with?

**_No idea… she went a bit funny though._**

Like how?

**_I don't know, but at lunch I'm going to see her._**

Lily was just about to write back that she was going to come too, when Katy herself flung open the door to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Morning Professor!" She said with a grin large enough to split her face in half.

"Miss Cupit I was under the impression you were in the Hospital Wing." Professor McGonagall said severely.

"Nah, I've got to kill Amanda Knight." Katy said it with such reason you would have thought she was suggesting something perfectly normal.

"You have to what?" McGonagall asked, frowning at Katy.

"Well, I need to get her." Katy grinned again. "She's my arch nemesis. And so I have to get rid of her."

"She's your arch nemesis?" McGonagall asked. "Since when?"

"Since now. But I have to go!" Katy jumped up suddenly. "Madame Pomphrey doesn't know I left!" Katy giggled like mad, greatly resembling a five year old trying to get away with something. "So I can't stay in one place for too long!"

"I think you should stay here, Miss Cupit." McGonagall said, crossing in front of Katy to the door. Lily glanced over to Aimy who looked amused and concerned all at once.

"Have you got Amanda in this class?" Katy asked, surveying the students. Luckily, Gryffindor had Transfiguration with Hufflepuff, and as Amanda Knight was a Ravenclaw, she was safe for a little while longer.

"No, we don't." McGonagall said, her mouth becoming a straight line.

"Well, then, I really must be off." Katy said brightly and ran past McGonagall out into the corridor. McGonagall quickly followed her and all the people in the class could hear was Katy whistling something. They all ran out as quick as they could when the whistling stopped, wondering what was going on. Professor Dumbledore had joined the scene and was having a conversation with Katy while Professor McGonagall looked on disapprovingly.

"So, Miss Cupit, you really ought to be going along with this in a different way." Dumbledore was saying.

"What do you mean?" Katy asked.

"Well, if you want to kill someone, you shouldn't run around telling the whole world, or that person will hide from you." Lily gasped; the Headmaster was actually giving Katy advice on how to kill someone?

"Can you help me then? I just need to Obliviate all these people so they don't go telling anyone." She asked, beaming up at him.

"Certainly, only a stroke of bad luck had me leave my wand in my office. And since I think I would be rather more adept at performing Memory Charms than you, would you let me use yours?" Lily grinned when Dumbledore said this; she now understood what the Headmaster was trying to do.

"Sure thing!" Katy said and handed over her wand.

"Thank you, Katy." He said with a smiled. "Now if you would just follow me."

"Are we going to find Amanda?" Katy asked, tugging on the sleeve of his robe. "Cause she's a Ravenclaw. Do you know what Ravenclaw fifth years have this hour? I think it's Charms, but I'm not totally sure, but you ought to know, because you're the Headmaster, so where are we going now?" Katy asked question after question as she followed Dumbledore away down the corridor. There was silence for a minute then they heard Katy's voice again from the next corridor. "I thought you were going to Obliviate all those people?"

"Well," McGonagall's voice brought Lily back to the corridor she was in and pulled her out of her thoughts about where Dumbledore and Katy were currently going. "I suppose we should get back to class." She ushered the students back into class.

No one was paying any attention to the rest of the class; everyone kept looking at the door and cocking their heads to the side anytime there was any noise from any part of the castle. At lunch, the other seven fifth year Gryffindors all flew up to the Hospital Wing, where, much to their relief, Katy had returned to.

"Hi guys!" She shouted when they came in.

"What did you do this morning?" Potter asked bluntly. "After you and Dumbledore left?"

"He's tricky, that one." Katy said with a frown. "Brought me right back up here and he wouldn't give me my wand. He put it in Pomphrey's office so I wouldn't be able to get it back." She shook her head. "And everyone says he such a nice guy. He right tricked me, he did!" She said, looking fairly outraged.

"So why did you want to kill Amanda?" Black asked, sitting on the bed next to Katy.

"Amanda?" Katy shrieked looking wildly around. "You know where she is?"

"Well she's probably at lunch, but that's not what I was trying to say. I wanted to know why you want to kill her." Black said nervously.

"To the Great Hall!" Katy shouted and jumped out of bed. She grinned madly at the seven of them and before anyone could even register what was going on, she tore out of the Hospital Wing.

"She's about to go and try to kill someone with a wand while she hasn't got one…" Remus said, sort of thoughtfully and sort of in a panic. They all rushed out of the Hospital Wing. Just as they were leaving however, Madame Pomphrey came out.

"Where is Miss Cupit?" She said, glaring at the lot of them.

"She's going to kill Amanda again." Mary said, looking at the floor.

"You let her leave? You should be able to tell, she is rather unstable at the moment."

"Well, we didn't let her leave, she ran out before we knew what was going on. And what exactly happened to her?" Lily said, stepping forward. She glanced behind her and saw the four boys had left. She hoped they were leaving to go find Katy and not to escape a lecture.

"I have no idea what happened to her, and that is just the problem." Madame Pomphrey said, frowning. "She won't tell me and I suspect she doesn't know. She was most likely hit from behind. I'm guessing Amanda Knight hit her, but since she has an obsession with Miss Knight, I would be more inclined to assume it was someone else who is not fond of Miss Knight and thought it would be funny to send a mad person after her."

"Well, we're just going to go find her." Lily said quickly and she, Aimy and Mary dashed off to the Great Hall.

If Lily hadn't seen it, she wouldn't have believed that one person could have accomplished what Katy did, and especially without their wand. She had cleared all students off the two middle tables and had the entire student body scrunched onto the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables. Lily was really surprised to see that Katy had about nine wands in her hands. She glanced up at the High Table which was empty, bad luck for the students, Lily thought. She looked around however and noticed that there were eight or nine Professors all standing in one corner of the Great Hall eyeing Katy warily.

"All right, where is Amanda Knight?" Katy boomed to the Great Hall.

Professor McGonagall went running out of the part of the Great Hall she and some of the other Professors were in and up to Katy.

"Miss Cupit, I think you really ought to rethink what you're doing." She said firmly.

"You can't do anything to me!" Katy shrieked. "I have your wand!" Lily was alarmed to hear that. How could Katy have gotten McGonagall's wand? Lily did some quick math and her heart sank. There was exactly the same number of wands in Katy's hand as there were staff members in the corner. How did Katy get all those wands?

"Accio Amanda Knight!" Katy yelled, but nothing happened. "Shouldn't that have worked?" Katy asked, frowning at McGonagall. She didn't wait for a response, however, because she had just noticed Potter, Black, Remus, Peter, Lily, Aimy and Mary. "Hi!" She yelled at them and walked over to them. McGonagall followed. Lily knew something was really wrong when Katy held up one of her many wands at them and told them to give their wands to her. Lily wasn't sure why there were listening. She had one wand pointed at the seven of them and they could have had seven wands pointed at her. Katy went down the line of them, snatching their wands out of their hands or pockets, wherever the wand was, Katy took it. She never managed to finish what she was doing because, and this surprised Lily the most, Black Stunned her just before she got to him.

Katy went flying through the air, the fifteen wands she had been attempting to hold onto went soaring in all different directions. Katy landed on the floor by the door to the Great Hall. Black looked thoroughly alarmed by what he had just done, and McGonagall looked a bit disapproving, but glad at the same time. Black ran over to Katy to check that she was okay and then very gingerly picked her up and cradled her all the way back to the Hospital Wing. Lily gave the Great Hall, which was in utter chaos one final glance before following the fifth year Gryffindor procession away from the Great Hall.

Lily knew that probably before they had even reached the Hospital Wing, the entire school would be talking about what Katy had just done and about how Sirius Black had Stunned his girlfriend.

_Heehee you can't know how much fun taht chapter was to write! And i have another chapter that will probably be in one or two chapters that i wrote a long time ago that is somewhat similar but then totally different! haha i'll just leave you with that..._

_So tell me waht you think? and i would appreciate some ideas on what all Katy's many reactions will be to this chapter. I already have two ideas, the one where she remembers everything she did and the one where she doesn't. let me know! yes taht means you!_

_Lily_


	33. Chapter 32

_So this chapter is a bit shorter than they have been lately, but i need to do something next that is from Lily's point of view. One of the bits i wrote a long time ago to start chapter 33!_

Chapter 32  
_Katy_

Katy had a bad headache. She woke up in the Hospital Wing, every limb protesting as she tried to sit up. Madame Pomphrey came hurrying over to her.

"How are you feeling Miss Cupit?" She asked, pulling out her wand.

"My head hurts real bad. And my arms and legs and back." She said. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" Katy shook her head, racking her brains furiously. "You don't remember anything from yesterday?"

"How long have I been here?" Katy asked.

"Well, you were unconscious for about six hours and then I gave you a dreamless sleep potion, because you had quite a day." Madame Pomphrey said briskly.

"What happened to me?" Katy asked again.

"Well, I don't really know everything, I wasn't there for most of it. All I know is that your friend, Aimy Bennet, brought you here yesterday in the morning because she said someone hexed you because you were holding hands with Mr. Black. You were acting funny, but neither you nor Miss Bennet knew what had hit you or who had done it, so I couldn't really do anything just then and thought I would let you rest for a little while. I suppose that was a bad idea because you quickly disappeared and then Professor Dumbledore led you back here about half an hour after you left. He gave me your wand and then you stayed in your bed until lunch when your friends came to see you and then you took off again. And all of this leaving was because you wanted nothing other than to kill Amanda Knight." Katy was shocked. How did she not remember any of this? She didn't remember anything from the day before, she just knew her head hurt.

"But Madame Pomphrey, I don't even know who Amanda Knight is!" She protested. That was only sort of true. She knew Amanda Knight was a fifth year Ravenclaw, but she didn't know what she looked like.

"Well, it seems the spell addled your brain, causing you to have an obsession with something completely alien to you. I suspect whoever jinxed you is not fond of Miss Knight and thought it would be amusing to have her punished by you." Madame Pomphrey sounded as if she severely disapproved of the whole business and Katy agreed wholeheartedly.

"Why was I unconscious?" She asked.

"You were Stunned, but please don't ask me any more questions, I don't know exactly what happened. After you left the second time it was at least forty minutes before you were brought back. Mr. Black carried you up here and Mr. Potter told me you had been Stunned and then they all started laughing and shifting around nervously and I know better than to question Black and Potter when they act like that." She sniffed and then busily began pulling vials of potions out of midair.

Katy was thinking as hard as she could, although she could admit she wasn't think all that hard. She felt like her head was about to explode. Madame Pomphrey soon began pouring potions down her throat and Katy felt her consciousness slipping.

When she regained it, she heard lots of voices around her. She peeped open one eye and saw Lily and Mary sitting on the foot of her bed, watching her, James and Sirius arguing fiercely with Pomphrey, Remus and Aimy in deep conversation just beyond the bed and Peter was sitting on the bed next to hers watching the argument.

"Katy!" Lily shrieked as soon as Katy's eyes opened. "Katy do you feel alright?" James and Sirius abandoned their argument and rushed over to the bed which was now overcrowded as seven people all tried to get as close to Katy as they could.

"You may only have five visitors at a time!" Madame Pomphrey was practically yelling at them.

"Alright, Aimy, you saw it happen. What happened to me?" Katy demanded and seven jaws dropped around her. "What?"

"You don't remember?" Lily asked incredulously.

"No, I don't or I wouldn't be asking. Now fess up!" She grinned at them.

"Well, you came running into McGonagall's classroom and you were shouting about killing Amanda Knight and then you left the room and then Dumbledore came and convinced you to give him your wand and then he brought you here and then we came to see you and you were telling us that Dumbledore was a trickster cause he hadn't kept his word to you and then you went running off to the Great hall to kill Amanda, again, and then we followed." Aimy said in one breath.

"When we got there," Sirius continued to the story. "You had somehow managed to get all the teachers wands, we don't really know how. Anyway, you had the whole school pretty much cowering from you, all on the Slytherin and Hufflepuff tables and you were standing on the Gryffindor table shouting that you wanted Amanda Knight. Then you saw us and took our wands and then you got Stunned." Sirius finished his little speech much to quickly and Katy raised her eyebrows at him, but he looked away and wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Who Stunned me?" She asked, trying to sound as casual as she could. Nobody answered. "Who Stunned me Sirius Black?" She said, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look in her eyes.

"That would be me." He said grinning at her.

"You Stunned me?" She frowned at him. "Why?"

"You were out of control. You were going to get hurt."

"So you Stun me to help me not get hurt?" She looked pointedly at him but he just grinned.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, thanks, I guess." Katy said, she was really confused. "How did I get the teachers wands away from them?" She asked.

"We don't know… we weren't there yet, but if it boosts your self esteem, you had McGonagall's wand." James said grinning at her.

"I took Professor McGonagall's wand away from her??" Katy's eyes widened in horror. "I'm going to have detention for the rest of my life!"

"I doubt it." Mary said, giggling. "She knew someone had jinxed you." She shrugged. "You can plead insanity." And she started laughing again.

"Alright," Madame Pomphrey was back and she looked like she meant business. "Now if two of you don't leave this very instant, all seven of you are going to leave and not come back!" There was some hemming and hawing as no one seemed to want to be one of the two who would leave. "Alright, all seven of you, out now!" She glared at them until they all went out, whining audibly about it. "You need to rest Miss Cupit." She said, pulling another vial out of her robe. "This will make you sleep." She pulled out another. "This will get rid of your headache." She pulled out a third. "And this should help your arms and legs feel better. Open up please." She poured the four potions into Katy's mouth. Katy swallowed, although she shuddered at the same time because they tasted revolting. She didn't have much time to dwell on how disgusting they were because she immediately fell asleep.

* * *

Katy was released from the Hospital Wing that evening and at dinner, she was highly embarrassed because everyone was looking at her and giggling in little groups.

"I was really weird yesterday, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, you were unbelievably weird." James said grinning at her.

"Gee thanks." She said.

"Miss Cupit." Professor McGonagall came over to them and Katy wilted, remembering that she had forcibly taken McGonagall's wand. "I trust you're feeling better?" She looked at Katy in a way that could only be responded to with the truth.

"Yeah, I'm better." Katy said without looking McGonagall in the eyes. "Sorry about yesterday." She said in a tiny voice. I really didn't mean to… do whatever I did." McGonagall looked confused at this.

"She doesn't remember." Lily said quickly and McGonagall gave her a short nod and turned back up to the High Table.

"I just wish people would stop staring at me." Katy whispered to Lily as they walked back to the common room. "It's like they think I'm about to go all funny again." She glared at a group of terrified looking first years who had pointing at her. "Or they're hoping I'll decide the stress is just too much and break up with Sirius."

"Why don't you just put a protective Charm around yourself so they can't touch you?" Lily asked.

"No, I am not scared of them and I won't let them think I am." Katy said frowning at Lily. There was no way she was going to act like she was afraid. That was just what would make her be attacked by these raving lunatics more!

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lily said. "So what are you going to do? Trust me you don't want everyday to be like yesterday." She giggled but immediately sobered up again.

"I'm not going to let it affect me." Katy said. She climbed in the portrait hole and sank down on one of the couches. "I'm just going to keep acting like normal."

Acting like normal didn't end up happening. Katy found herself being more obviously girlfriendy when there were other girls around. She thought it was incredibly funny to see their faces when she and Sirius acted like a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, sickly sweet and goopy to each other, constantly kissing and feeding each other at meals. The other fifth year Gryffindors also found this quite funny, but it annoyed the rest of the female population of Hogwarts to no end. Sirius also found it amusing because he wasn't so hot on those other girls hexing Katy.

"So why do they think doing something nasty to Kate is going to earn your love?" Mary said giggling one breakfast. She was mostly giggling at Katy who was sitting in Sirius' lap making a great show of feeding him something while a couple of Ravenclaw girls were shooting daggers at them and pointing and whispering together.

"Because they're delusional." Katy said to everyone. "Isn't that right?" She added, quieter, leaning in so that she was almost whispering it to Sirius who smirked, making those girls think Katy had whispered something completely different. James burst out laughing when he saw the reaction of the Ravenclaw girls.

"Nah," Sirius grinned. "I think it's really cool when they try to beat you up. It makes me want them oh so badly." His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he glared at certain people across the Hall who had tried their best on more than one occasion to get rid of Katy.

"Figures." Katy shook her head and her hair whipped Sirius in the face.

"Ouch!" He said, frowning at her. Katy looked around, and saw that there were at least a dozen girls watching their every move. She leaned in close to him and said loudly enough for them to hear, but not loud enough for it to seem on purpose:

"I am so sorry, I would never hurt you." And then she kissed him long and hard and he responded enthusiastically. What had started out just trying to mess with the various girls who fancied themselves in love with Sirius ended up with, much to Katy's delight, Katy and Sirius making out at breakfast.

"Wow…" Mary said. "You two have real class." Katy pulled away from Sirius and looked at Mary who was grinning broadly. However, the seven people around Katy were the only ones who looked happy about what had just happened. Everyone else looked ready to throw Katy off the nearest cliff. She beamed at them and went back to her breakfast.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, Katy's popularity did not improve. Someone sent her an anonymous letter than burned her hands when she opened it. _(A/N: So yeah I did sort of get that idea from Goblet of Fire… :D)_ She was in the Hospital Wing all morning for that with quite painful hands.

"This really must stop." Madame Pomphrey tutted while Katy watched her hands regrow normal skin. "I must see you here at least twice a week."

"Well, I'm not getting hexed on purpose." Katy winced as her second hand began to twitch and regrow its skin. "Girls are just hexing me everywhere I go."

"Why?" Pomphrey asked, hurrying over with some more Dittany.

"Because they're all in love with Sirius." Katy said frowning. "And apparently they think I will break up with him if they keep hurting me. They're trying to scare me away from him I guess." She shrugged. "I really wish they wouldn't. Teachers are starting to give so much more homework, now that it's closer to the end of the year and we have OWL's so I can't fall behind!"

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, Miss Cupit. You are free to leave as soon as your hands are done healing." She said with a smile of farewell, she hurried off to the other side of the ward to help someone else.

Katy sat in the hospital bed for another ten minutes until she was fully satisfied that her hands were okay again. She downed the pain potion Madame Pomphrey had left for her and walked out of the Hospital Wing.

"Hey Cupit!" A fifth year Ravenclaw came up to her.

"Yeah?" She looked around. She didn't know the girls name.

"Remember me?" The girl asked, clearly amused.

"No, I can't say I do. Sorry." Katy apologized, desperately racking her brains for when she had met this girl before. She knew she had some classes with her, but she didn't know anymore than that.

"You tried to kill me a few weeks ago." The girl grinned.

"Amanda Knight, I take it?" Katy said smiling. "I'm really sorry about that…"

"It's fine, I know you were jinxed." She laughed. "I guess I just wanted to meet my arch nemesis."

"What?" Katy asked, confused.

"Well you were telling everyone that I was your arch nemesis and that is why you had to kill me."

"Great…" Katy suddenly had an idea. "Do you know of anyone who really doesn't like you? Other than me of course." Katy added laughing.

"Well, sure there are some people who don't like me. Why?"

"Well, I've no idea who hexed me that day and the teachers were really angry. They figured it was someone who didn't like you and would think it was funny to send me after you. You're pretty lucky I wanted to kill you because otherwise they probably would have thought you were the one after me."

"Nah, I've got a boyfriend. You can have yours." Amanda said. "I guess if I can think of anyone in particular I'll tell you."

"Thanks!" Katy grinned. "For both things."

"Sure." Amanda Knight smiled and then turned down the corridor in the opposite direction of Katy.

* * *

Katy decided she was going to give up on the female race by the second week of March. They were just way too crazy. Between the day that she had the tried to kill Amanda and the second week of March, she had been in the Hospital wing twenty seven times with a variety of injuries and strange jinxes. The only good thing about time passing was the weather was getting warmer. It was still cold and wet, but at least it wasn't freezing.

The eight fifth year Gryffindors were all working on Homework one weekend in the Great Hall when Professor McGonagall tried to approach them. She was rebuffed by something invisible. Katy looked up to see McGonagall giving the group a very disapproving look as she got out her wand and starting poking the barrier that was preventing her from coming near them.

"Sirius, lift the Charm. McGonagall does not look happy." Katy nudged Sirius who immediately got rid of the protector.

"Mr. Black must I ask what that was there for?" She asked, her mouth a very thin line.

"Well, we wanted some peace and quiet, so I put that up so we wouldn't have to deal with people trying to curse Katy." He answered.

"I see." She looked at them and Katy could tell that while she didn't approve, she understood.

While at first Katy had been adamant she would not use Shield Charms and magical protectors, she found she liked it. She didn't feel like a coward for using them because it was always Sirius or James who put them up. Often one of them would grab her arm in between class and put a small one on the two of them, lifting it only when the teacher entered the room. Pretty soon people stopped trying to hit her with hexes, but rumors were being spread about her right and left. It was all mostly rubbish about Katy being seen with this guy or that one, but sometimes it was pretty nasty.

_Heehee i just love this! and i am so excited for the next chapter! what happens next was my favorite part to write of everything so far!_

_Lily_


	34. Chapter 33

_yay! i loved writing this scene!_

Chapter 33  
_Lily_

Lily was talking to Severus in the corridor one afternoon after classes finished when Katy came running up to them faster than Lily had ever seen Katy run. It had been two weeks of no physical pain from other girls, but there were new, and stupid, rumors every day.

"What's the matter, Kate? You look ready to kill someone." Lily was seriously alarmed.

"Melanie Hall." Katy glared around them at people who were now watching.

"Who's that?" Lily had never heard of Melanie Hall before.

"No idea, but she's going down." Severus snickered at this and Lily wished he wouldn't. "Something funny, Snape?"

"You're going to kill someone, and you don't know who it is? Good luck." He smirked.

"Shut up, Snape." And with that Katy went running off. Lily didn't know quite what to make of that, Severus was busy trying not to laugh and Lily threw him a glare to which he immediately stopped laughing.

"Is she always like that?" He looked like he really wanted to know, but it came out with more than a hint of sarcasm.

"A lot, well, she doesn't always want to kill people, but she's rather… umm, excitable." Lily chose her words carefully, she didn't know how to explain Katy Cupit to someone who was never going to like her at all. She and Severus talked for a while longer but were interrupted by the appearance of a very scared looking seventh year Hufflepuff who was running down the hall.

"I never said that! I didn't!!" she looked terrified. Lily was a bit confused but all became clear when Katy rounded the corner chasing the girl who Lily now supposed was Melanie Hall.

"You did, you did, I know it. Jack Abbott's sister told me." Katy had Melanie cornered now and was getting closer. Lily frowned, why was Katy trusting something to do with Jack Abbott? He had never forgiven her for what happened between them.

"I don't even know who Jack Abbott's sister is."

"Don't lie, Hall, I know you told her that she could go out with Sirius."

"Hall?" Lily had a very bad feeling about the whole situation when the Hufflepuff asked that question. "What does that mean?" Katy however, had not made the connection Lily had.

"It's you name… how do you not know that?" She laughed.

"My name is Anna Michaels…" Lily felt herself turning red for her friend's sake. Katy wasn't embarrassed, at least not visibly.

"Oh, well, sorry about this. I could've sworn Megan pointed at you when I asked who Melanie Hall was." Katy looked thoughtful. "Ooh! Melanie was at the table behind you, or talking to you."

"Behind me, I hate Melanie Hall, she's always spreading the nastiest rumors about people. If someone has something she wants, she tells everyone they stole it from her or something. She's crazy, that one."

"Oh, thanks! Again, terribly sorry about all this." Katy grinned at Anna Michaels and ran off in the opposite direction. As soon as Katy rounded the corner, everyone started laughing, but were cut off quickly by a very loud boom from around the corner.

"Bloody hell! What was that?" Came a voice from where the boom was.

"You stay away from my boyfriend!"

"I never did anything to him!" There was another loud bang, this time some smoke came around the corner.

"Don't lie to me!"

"Miss Cupit! That is quite enough." Apparently Professor McGonagall had heard the noise. Lily thought probably the whole school had heard, and McGonagall seemed to be the first one on the scene.

"I hate you!"

"You just broke like half the corridor, and you're still worried about me?" The girl's voice that Lily did not recognize sounded like she was taunting.

"It's… your bloody… fault," Katy seemed to struggling with something and Lily wondered if that something was McGonagall. "If you don't tell lies about my boyfriend and me, I'll leave you alone. Bloody hell, you really don't know anything, do you, Hall?"

"Miss Cupit! I don't think we need that sort of language now do we?" Apparently McGonagall wasn't doing a very good job of constraining Katy. Lily's curiosity got the better of her and, followed by everyone else near her, turned and walked toward the smoke and yelling. They were greeted by one of the strangest sights Lily had ever seen. There was a tall girl, probably Melanie Hall, cowering beneath a mostly demolished pillar and Katy was standing directly on the other side, no more than two or three feet away with her wand pointed at Melanie. McGonagall was circling the scene; she seemed to be trying to find a way to intervene without getting Melanie hurt. "Miss Cupit, please lower you wand, or I shall have to make you." Katy turned around and stared at McGonagall, open mouthed, in shock. It occurred to Lily that perhaps in her anger, Katy had not noticed McGonagall or the large number of students now assembled around her.

"Professor?" Katy said. She didn't seem to even consider that she might get in trouble.

"Yes, Miss Cupit?" McGonagall's mouth had practically disappeared it was so straight.

"I'm afraid I wasn't listening when Flitwick explained how to fix things." Katy said, brightly.

"Professor Flitwick."

"Professor Flitwick." Katy agreed. McGonagall sighed and told Katy and Melanie to move. Katy looked up at Lily and waved at her, Lily grinned; of course, she thought to herself, Katy thinks this is all quite fun. Professor McGonagall performed some very complex spells and the hall put itself back together.

"You haven't learned how to do this yet, not till the end of next year."

"Oh. Well thanks!" Katy turned and linked arms with Lily, and began walking away giggling.

"Just a moment, Miss Cupit! I should like you to come with me to my office."

"Oh, okay, Professor." Katy smiled at McGonagall in almost a questioning way, but she got no response. McGonagall turned and walked off, and Katy grabbed Lily's arm and dragged her along with her.

"Katy, I'm not going to be allowed to come with you, you know that."

"I don't care."

"You're probably going to get detention for the rest of the year."

"Gee, thanks for the confidence." Lily laughed, and then stopped because McGonagall had heard and turned around.

"What are you doing here, Miss Evans?"

"I pulled her." Katy put in.

"I see," McGonagall looked disapproving. "Well, you'll have to wait in the classroom. Miss Cupit, into my office please." Katy followed McGonagall and as soon as the door shut, Lily moved to the desk closest it.

"I really don't understand what prompted you to do that, Miss Cupit."

"You know Jack Abbott's sister? I can't remember her name."

"Claire Abbott, you mean?"

"Yes, that's it, Claire, anyway she came up and told me that Melanie Hall had been telling people that if they came up and asked me, I would break up with my boyfriend, so that they could go out with him." Lily had to bite her fist to stop herself from laughing. Katy did get worked up over little things far too easily, especially since the summer.

"Miss Abbot is twelve years old! Why would you take her seriously? And even if you were hurt, Miss Cupit, you are still not permitted to destroy a corridor and threaten to murder a fellow student. I would have thought that, given the conditions of the goings on outside of Hogwarts, even in your own family, you would not threaten to murder someone. You should know how awful that is." Lily glared at the door, and hoped McGonagall was receiving a virtual glare. How dare she bring up the death of Katy's mother? Obviously Katy knew what it was like to lose 

someone, and what murder really meant. Clearly, McGonagall had not been around Katy when this matter was discussed, because she didn't sound prepared when Katy burst into tears.

"I know, I know, I know!" Katy was practically shouting. "She was my mother. Don't preach to me about her. I…" Katy broke off and ran from the office and crumpled down into a chair a few desks away from Lily. "I miss her." Katy whispered through her tears. One glance at McGonagall through the open door told Lily she was deeply regretting what she said.

"I don't think she needs to be punished." McGonagall said to Lily. "She seems as though she has been punished enough." Lily was quite grateful to Professor McGonagall and got up and sat down next to Katy. Katy turned and looked at Lily, her face covered in tears and full to the brim with intense pain.

"I miss her, Lily." Katy let out a strangled sob and began crying anew. "Tell her I'm sorry." With that, Katy got up and left the room. Lily had no idea where she was going, but knew she needed her space. Assuming that "her" meant Melanie, Lily went off to look for her.

In the following weeks, Lily watched her friend her more closely. She saw the things she had seen at the beginning of the year, either they were back because of the talk with McGonagall, or Lily had just stopped noticing. When Katy smiled, she looked happy, and if you didn't know her, you would not believe there was anything other than happiness in her face, but her eyes were almost sad. She looked the least sad when she was with Black, so Lily let be with him as much as she wanted. Lily appreciated him for his ability to make Katy happy.

By the beginning of May, Lily was glad to see that Katy seemed to be getting back to her normal self. When Lily suggested they begin reviewing for their OWL's about halfway through May, Katy just rolled her eyes and gave Lily a very skeptical look. However, Lily soon got Aimy on her side about the need for studying and when Aimy said it was time to work, Mary and Katy were much more willing to listen.

They were spending the delightfully warm weekends outdoors, and now, thanks to Lily and Aimy, most of their afternoons were spent by the lake studying. Lily had convinced them all to not work with the boys because Katy never paid attention to studying when Sirius was around and Potter was getting harder and harder to deal with.

He had started specifically targeting Severus in everything he did. He would tell people he was practicing his spell work by performing something on Severus and it was getting Lily just about ready to kill him. She had been upset with him before, but not as much as she was at the end of May. He had started jinxing Severus at almost all the opportunities he had, which meant pretty much any time the two of them were in the same general area and a teacher wasn't.

_So i know that was short, but the next chapter had to be from katy's perspective and it includes the Mudblood scene that harry sees in the pensieve in order of the pheonix._

_Got to go write! although i am going to take a minute here to shamlessly advertise for my newest story, it is called pureblood fairytales and while i know ron says that wizards don't hear cinderella or anything, i spoofed some of the fairytales we hear as kids so that they are about supremely prejudiced pureblood wizards and witches. it is really really sarcastic and i would love some feedback on it!_

_Okay back to Katy... nowi really will go write!_

_Lily_


	35. Chapter 34

_big important chapter.. oooooohhhh. haha so since what i just said was true, let us continue on to the story. and i did not magically turn into jkr since the last time i put in a disclaimer. again, anything in bold in this chapter comes directly from order of the pheonix. hense the bold, stating clearly i did not write it and i am not trying to say i did. which would be why remus is called lupin and peter is called wormtail._

Chapter 34  
_Katy_

The second morning of OWL's was one of the most stressful Katy had experienced all year. Not because she was stressed, no it was more that it was physically painful to see Lily be so riled up.

"You better not get on her nerves today, James." Katy whispered as Lily frantically paced up and down the common room reciting various information to herself.

All they had had the day before was the practical for Charms and Defense, and that day they had the written exams for those two classes.

Lily was only mildly calmer after the Charms exam in the morning. She relaxed a little but at lunch, but as soon as lunch was over she was just as tense as ever. Katy pretty much tried to ignore her, but it was sort of hard as she was hovering around the common room still reciting the notes she had drilled into her head for the past month.

**'Quills down, please!' squeaked Professor Flitwick. That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! **_**Accio**_**!'**

**Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's outstretched arms, knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students at the front desks got up, took hold of Professor Flitwick beneath the elbows and lifted him back on to his feet.**

**Thank you… thank you,' panted Professor Flitwick. 'Very well, everybody, you're free to go!'**

Katy stood up from her Defense exam and stretched. She watched the four boys walk out joking together. She stood up and Lily came over to her. Mary and Aimy were still talking in their chairs and waved them away saying they would join them in a few minutes.

"So how did it go?" Lily asked immediately. "I thought it was okay, there were only like two questions I didn't know right away."

"Lily, I'd rather not take the test twice, so let's not relive it, shall we? The only question I've got anything to say about is number 10, bet Remus liked that one." She said giggling and Lily smiled tensely. "Relax, Lil, no more tests till tomorrow!" They went down by the lake. Lily was still in test mood and very stressed so Katy was careful to keep away from James and Sirius. Lily did not need to deal with them just then. Lily was starting to turn purple from pent up things she wanted to say. "Okay, fine, Lily. You can talk about the test, but sorry if I start daydreaming."

Lily looked like she could've kissed Katy. After promising not to care if Katy lost focus she launched into a steady stream of her thoughts, feelings and worries about the test. Katy did lose focus about thirty seconds into her speech because she noticed something was going on between James and Snape. She found herself watching them instead of Lily.

**Snape lay panting on the ground. James and Sirius advanced on him, wands raised, James glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went. Wormtail was on his feet now, watching hungrily, edging around Lupin to get a clearer view.**

Katy was surprised by how vicious the exchange was. She had always thought that it was just a laugh, and now felt guilty for ignoring Lily when she tried to tell her how mean Sirius and James actually were to Snape. Katy almost felt bad for Snape, but she found she really couldn't. She just didn't agree with what James and Sirius, though mostly James, were doing to him. Katy decided it was time to alert Lily, although it would not affect her stress level in a positive way. Katy nudged her and pointed at the large group of students now watching the exchange. Lily immediately turned red with anger as James starting making soap bubbles come out of Snape's mouth, choking him.

**'Leave him ALONE!'**

**James and Sirius looked round. James's free hand immediately jumped to his hair.**

**'All right, Evans?' said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature.**

**'Leave him alone,' Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. 'What's he done to you?'**

**'Well,' said James, appearing to deliberate the point, 'it's more the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…'**

**Many of the surrounding students laughed, Sirius and Wormtail included, but Lupin, still apparently intent on his book, didn't, and nor did Lily.**

**'You think you're funny,' she said coldly. 'But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him **_**alone**_**.'**

**'I will if you go out with me, Evans,' said James quickly. 'Go on… go out with me and I'll never lay a wand on old Snivelly again.'**

**Behind him, the Impediment Jinx was wearing off. Snape was beginning to inch towards his fallen wand, spitting out soapsuds as he crawled.**

**'I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid,' said Lily.**

**'Bad luck, Prongs,' said Sirius briskly, and turned back to Snape. 'OI!'**

**But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James's face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about: a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.**

**Many people in the small crowd cheered; Sirius, James and Wormtail roared with laughter.**

**Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, 'Let him down!'**

**'Certainly,' said James and he jerked his wand upwards; Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, '**_**Petrificus Totalus**_**!' and Snape keeled over again, rigid as a board.**

**'LEAVE HIM ALONE!' Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.**

**'Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you,' said James earnestly.**

**Take the curse off him, then!'**

**James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the counter-curse.**

**There you go,' he said, as Snape struggled to his feet. 'You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —'**

**'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'**

**Lily blinked.**

**'Fine,' she said coolly. 'I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, **_**Snivellus**_**.'**

**'Apologize to Evans!' James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.**

**'I don't want you to make him apologize,' Lily shouted, rounding on James. 'You're as bad as he is.'**

**'What?' yelped James. I'd NEVER call you a - you-know-what!'**

**'Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can - I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me sick.'**

**She turned on her heel and hurried away.**

**'Evans!' James shouted after her. 'Hey, EVANS!'**

**But she didn't look back.**

**'What is it with her?' said James, trying and failing to look as though this was a throwaway question of no real importance to him.**

**'Reading between the lines, I'd say she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate,' said Sirius.**

**'Right,' said James, who looked furious now, 'right -'**

Katy gave Snape a look of utmost disgust before running off in the direction Lily had gone. She found Lily slumped up against the wall of their dormitory sobbing her eyes out.

"Lily?" Katy asked hesitantly, not knowing what to do or say.

"How could-" She looked up at Katy and her eyes went from sad to angry. "I hate him." Katy wasn't sure which she was talking about but she thought it was more likely Snape.

"He doesn't matter Lily. Don't waste feelings on him."

"How could he say that to me? We were friends. We've been friends for six years and he just turns on me? How could he?" Lily started out sounding desperate for an answer and ended growling. "I'd like some time alone if you don't mind." She said quietly.

"Sure." Katy said quickly and left the room. She went back into the coming room where she found Aimy and Mary.

"What happened?" Mary said, rushing over to her. "Sirius told us James and Snape got in a fight and Snape said something terrible to Lily. But we don't really believe him, so what happened?" She demanded.

"He was telling the truth." She said sadly. "Snape called her a-" She couldn't say it. "A Mud-" She faltered. "You know what I mean." Aimy and Mary were both white with shock and had their mouths hanging open.

"He didn't!" Aimy whispered.

"He did." Katy said. "He did and now she says she hates him."

"I would too. I mean I already to, but, wow, and they were friends. Why would he say it?" Mary said, glaring at the room in general.

"I have no idea. Unless he realy believes it, which I will give him enough credit to not think that is the case or he wouldn't hang out with her so I guess it must have been to impress his Slytherin friends or keep up a reputation. But he hasn't really got one to protect…" Katy said, thinking aloud. "But none of them were around so who knows. Who cares? He's a git and I'm glad she now realizes that."

"That's the truth." Mary agreed. "Now where are those charming boys that caused this whole mess?"

"Probably still outside. Maybe James is murdering Snape as we speak. You should've seen how mad he was." Katy said, ushering the two of them out of the portrait hole.

"Well, I sure won't be complaining to the authorities if he kills Snape." Mary said scowling.

On the way down to the grounds they ran into Snape himself.

"Cupit!" He cried out, desperately. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Katy." He tried again.

"What do you want Snape?" she spat.

"Where's Lily?"

"Why the hell would I tell you?" She said, glaring as hard as she could at him.

"I need to apologize."

"Not a chance Snape, not a chance." She snarled at him. "She hates you and I don't blame her. And now that you two are no longer friends," She smirked when he paled. "I have no qualms about telling you exactly how I feel. You are one of the foulest souls I have ever encountered and I have no idea what Lily ever saw in you to make her want to associate with you. I never said that before out of respect for my friend, but I feel it is just fine to say it." He came very close to her, a pleading look on her face and she slapped him across the cheek before turning away from him and leading Mary and Aimy away. However they didn't get very far because he was yelling things to them.

"I'll talk to her! We'll be friends again. I'll make sure of it. She just needs to listen. I'll talk to her tonight."

"Ignore him." Aimy hissed and the three of them kept walking. They got out to the four boys where James was fuming as he paced around the tree by the lake muttering to himself.

"Please tell me you got him good." Katy said, stopping James in his circles.

"Unfortunately no, he Stunned Sirius and then ran away while we were distracted." James snarled. Katy looked at Sirius who was sitting on the ground, leaning against the trunk of the tree holding his arm.

"Are you okay?" Katy said, flying over to him. "What did he do to you?" She sat down next to him. "I am going to kill him!"

"I'm fine."

"You know Lily probably needs you more than James or Sirius right now, Kate." Remus said, leaning over towards her.

"No, she wants to be alone right now. I've already talked to her a bit. Don't worry, she's announced that she hates Snape." Katy said glaring at the ground.

"Good!" James shouted. "She better hate him."

"I'm sorry about what she said to you too." Katy said standing up and walking to James. He turned away from her. "I am, James."

"I knew something like this would happen. I knew she hated me. Really hated me. I just don't know why. I try to be nice to her, I really try hard."

"Maybe that's why." Katy said gently. "Stop trying James, she doesn't believe me that you're not arrogant when you and I are hanging out. She's never seen you any different than how you act in public. Stop trying to keep up a reputation and act like normal human and she might start to like you." James frowned.

* * *

That night, it took half an hour of convincing to get Lily to agree to come to dinner. She was ardently protesting that she wasn't hungry, but finally agreed to at least come into the Great Hall. Katy pulled her to a part of the table they didn't usually sit at cast a few of the spells Sirius used to put around her to keep unwanted hexes away. Katy found it a little ironic that the same spells were being used to keep away people who hated Katy and to keep away someone who liked Lily. Fortunately Snape didn't try to talk to her during dinner, but he did attempt to catch up with them as they walked back to Gryffindor Tower. Lily firmly turned her back on him, which did sort of discourage him, but unfortunately it also led to him learning where the entrance to Gryffindor Tower was. He sat down on the floor when they got to it telling Lily he would wait there all evening. Lily immediately marched up to the dorm and slammed the door behind her. She quickly changed into her nightclothes and shut the hanging on her four poster bed. At about ten, Mary came in looking supremely peeved.

"Snape's still out there!" She shouted. Lily poked her head out of the bed hangings. "He says he's going to sleep there tonight. And tomorrow night. And the next night. Until you talk to him." She said to Lily who looked exasperated.

"Alright, but Katy, you're coming with me." She grabbed Katy's arm.

"No, he'll never talk with me there." Katy protested.

"But I can't go talk to him alone."

"So leave the portrait hole open and I'll wait just behind it and come to your rescue if you need me." Katy offered and Lily nodded. They crossed the common room and Lily started muttering angrily under her breath. Katy stepped to the side beside the portrait so that a person outside wouldn't be able to see her. As soon as Lily opened the portrait hole, Snape started talking.

"**I'm sorry."**

"**I'm not interested."**

"**I'm sorry!"**

"**Save your breath."**

**It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.**

"**I only came out here because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here."**

"**I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just-"**

"**Slipped out?" there was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends – you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be. You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?"**

**He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.**

"**I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine."**

"**No – listen, I didn't mean-"**

" – **to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?"**

**He struggled on the verge of speech but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole.**

"Wow, Lily, I'm impressed." Katy said, trying to smile as soon as the Fat Lady had swung shut on an open mouthed Snape.

"He deserved it." She said harshly and turned and went back upstairs.

"Wait, Lily!" Katy called. Lily was halfway up the stairs, but she turned back.

"What?" She asked.

"James is sorry. He won't say it and he won't admit it, but he was really upset today."

"He deserved what he got too." Lily said with a glare that Katy knew wasn't actually meant for her. With that Lily turned and went up the remaining stairs into the dorm. Katy found she wasn't tired. Too much had happened that day to make her able to sleep. She collapsed on one of couches and sighed, trying to go over the events of the day.

"Thanks, for what you said." Came a voice from a couch not facing her. James stood up and walked over to her. "No, I wasn't eavesdropping. I didn't know you two would come down here. I just couldn't sleep. Merlin, I hate him so much."

"Me too." Katy said. James sat down on the couch next to her and she hugged him. "I don't think she's going to soften towards you any time soon, James. Sorry, but she was really upset with what you did today."

"I know, I just can't stand him. He thinks he's… and he was her… and they were… friends!" James was muttering incoherently until he practically shouted the word "friends." Katy was strongly reminded of the conversation she had overheard between Snape and Lily so many months ago when Snape had said pretty much the same thing about James.

"You were jealous of him." Katy said simply.

"I wouldn't say jealous." James said with a grin.

"And why not?" Katy challenged.

"Because if you do I will have to hex you into the next century." He said reasonably.

"Oh I see." Katy giggled.

The two of them talked for a while longer and then Katy suddenly woke up to the sound of laughter, realizing she had fallen asleep leaning on James and in the night they had both laid down so that she was sleeping on top of him and they had been sort of hugging before that and so he had his hand on the small of her back. All in all, it looked quite different than it was. Katy shot up and so did James, Katy adjusting her shirt and James was fiddling with his hair, both fervently pretending they hadn't just been sleeping like that.

"Should I be jealous?" Sirius asked with his voice full of laughter.

"Yes, James and I are secretly having an affair." Katy said grinning when she realized the only two laughing people, indeed the only people around, were Sirius and Remus.

"Yup we sneak down here every night." James said laughing. "And you didn't believe those girls when they told you Katy was cheating on you. Ha!" James tried very hard to keep a straight face as he talked but he failed miserably.

"Morning, Kate." Sirius said smiling and leaning down to kiss her. "Sleep well?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"As good as can be expected." She said glaring at James but then she started laughing.

Katy was not surprised that Lily didn't come to breakfast. Aimy ate her own breakfast as fast as she could and then hurried back to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

By the end of OWL's Lily was so close to breaking point that it was scary. She shot about ten feet anytime a male voice said "Lily" or "Evans" apparently terrified it was Snape or James. She would leave the room anytime either of them came in, which was unfortunate as she didn't want to be alone, so it meant that Katy, Aimy and Mary played a lot of Follow The Leader only Lily was the only person who ever got to be the leader. They ended up spending a lot of time in their dorm room as it was the only place other than a girls bathroom that neither of the boys could come in. James had tried to follow them up when he wanted to talk to Lily, but the staircase had turned into a stone slide, shooting all five of them down to the ground in a mess of arms, legs and Lily's appalled shouting at exactly how she and James had managed to land.

Lily refused to let the four boys sit with them on the Hogwarts Express. She said she would leave if they came in so Katy went and told them to not even try coming in because they would not receive a very nice welcome. Katy was surprised that they were the topic of the conversation, however, when she got back to the girls' compartment.

"…I just started realizing they use them just as much as their real names." Mary was saying.

"Yeah, and they're such weird names, I can't figure them out."

"What are we talking about?" Katy asked, plopping down on the seat next to Aimy.

"The nicknames the boys use for each other." Lily said frowning. "They're so stupid!"

"The nicknames or the boys?" Katy asked grinning.

"Both." Lily said firmly but she was smiling too.

"I think they're funny." Katy said. "But I don't really understand them. Except for one."

"You know what one of them is?" Aimy asked, turning to Katy.

"Well, not for sure, but I have a pretty good idea of why they call Remus 'Moony' but no idea for the other three. Sirius has normal feet, Peter hasn't got a tail and I have no idea what they mean by 'Prongs.'" Katy said, thinking of each name as she went. Katy exchanged a look with Lily who was looking a little alarmed.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked and pulled Katy into the corridor. "Does Mary know?" She asked quickly.

"I don't think so."

"Can we tell her?" Lily asked intently.

"She'll figure it out." Katy said, glancing around worriedly.

"No, I think we should tell her." Lily said frowning. "How would you feel if you knew that your friends had kept the biggest secret in the world from you?"

"I guess." Katy was uncertain if that was right. Remus didn't want anyone to know, right? But then again, he seemed okay that Katy, Lily and Aimy knew. "Maybe Aimy's already told her!" She said brightly but it was fake brightness.

They went back into the compartment where Mary was staring hard at Aimy who was looking anywhere but Mary.

"What is going on, you three?" Mary asked, almost angrily. "Why do I feel like there is something you lot know that I don't?"

"Well," Katy began slowly. "There might be. It's possible you know and just haven't told us you know. Have you ever noticed anything funny about Remus?" She asked tentatively.

"Well, he gets sick a lot and seems to be hurt like half the time." She said, glaring at Katy. "But I assume you guys know that too, which makes me pretty sure that isn't the big secret here."

"True, it isn't. What would you say if I told you Remus is very different from all of us?" Katy asked, glancing up at Mary's confused face before looking at the floor.

"I would say that I want to know just how he is different than us."

"Okay, what if Remus could turn into something, something different."

"What sort of something?"

"Like an animal…"

"Remus is an Animagus? Well why didn't anyone say so. That's not bad it's really cool!" She grinned, but then her grin faltered as she saw the looks on the others faces. "I'm guessing that isn't everything."

"Yeah, Remus is like an Animagus, but then totally different." Katy whispered.

"Why don't you just say it? It can't be that bad!" She looked desperately around at them. "Can it?"

"Remus is a werewolf!" Blurted out Lily and then she gasped and put her hands over her mouth and sat down, looking dumbstruck.

"What??" Mary said, standing up. "That's a bad joke, right?"

"No." Aimy said in a very small voice. "It's true."

"So, that's what you meant by the reason they call him Moony? Because he turns into a…" Mary gulped. "Werewolf… at the full moon."

"That's my guess." Katy whispered.

"Oh." Mary said, looking from Katy to Lily to Aimy. "And you guys have known all this time?"

"Just since before Christmas." Lily said quickly. "For Katy and I. I'm not sure about Aimy."

"I see." Mary said quietly and then looked out the window.

"Mary please don't be angry!" Lily begged. "We didn't know what Remus would say if we told."

"Why is he here?" Mary asked, turning and Katy went white with fear that Remus was standing next behind her, looking betrayed. She whipped around but Lily was the only person behind her.

"Where?"

"At Hogwarts. Isn't it unsafe for him to be here?" She asked, looking directly at Katy, then turning and facing Aimy.

"Well, he goes to the Shrieking Shack for the full moon. You might as well know everything we do." Aimy sighed. "He goes out there in the afternoon before the full moon and stays there until it's over."

"Okay." Mary said and resumed staring blankly out the window.

"Mary." Katy said, going to sit with her. "Please don't be angry with us."

"I'm not angry." Mary said, a little too calmly. "I'm just thinking. It's a lot to process in five minutes.

"Too right you are." Katy said, remembering how it all seemed when she found out.

The rest of the ride was uncomfortable as they tried to make small talk, skirting the topic that was hanging in the air. Katy got off the Hogwarts Express dreading the summer. She sunk into the backseat of the car and pretended to fall asleep so she didn't have to participate in the conversation.

_Woo... glad to get all that over with. lots happened. but you are going to hate me after the next chapter that's all i will say now because you are about to find out why as the next chapter is going up right now too!_

_Lily_


	36. Chapter 35

_oh i am grinning so evily right now in anticipation of your face if you like this story when you see where i have left off... hahahahahaahahaha_

_okay i'm done acting like a maniac..._

Chapter 18  
_Katy_

Katy was jolted out of her fake sleep in the car by a sudden abrupt stop in the cars motion. Mr. Potter had slammed on the brakes and all six people in the car went shooting forward in a perfect display of physics. Katy looked around and wanted to sink into nothingness. The car was surrounded by black cloaked figures who were closing in on it.

"Grab my arm!" Katy's father shouted to her and Lucie who were closest to him. Mrs. Potter was shouting the same thing to James. Lucie wrapped her whole arm around her father's but Katy just held on with her hand which she regretted a moment later. She felt her father Appirating and she felt herself starting to be sucked through the tubes when the car jolted and she was thrown out her father's grasp and hit something, or maybe it was someone, her head hurt too much to really tell. After about ten seconds the car shuttered again and Katy opened her eyes. She was clinging for dear life onto James, everyone else had vanished and Katy's heart sunk. She knew why. They had Appirated and she had been thrown from her father and knocked James away from his mother, causing the two of them to be left behind.

Tears began pouring down her face as she saw the Death Eaters closing in around her. One of them, the biggest, pointed his wand at the car and from inside it, Katy couldn't hear what he had said, but the car blew up, sending her and James flying into the air. She never knew how she managed to keep a hold on James, but they were both clinging to each other so tightly that they were not ripped apart.

"James," She sobbed. "James what are we going to do?" Katy's whole body was shaking. Then a jet of blue light blasted her and James apart. The big Death Eater who had blown up the car advanced on her.

"Katy Cupit." His voice snarled out from behind his hooded and masked face. Katy didn't recognize the voice but she didn't really care who it was, she just wanted to get away. "_Crucio!_" The Death Eater shouted and the world slowed down. Katy saw the jet of light come toward her in slow motion, her fear building as it got closer. She had no idea what was about to happen to her. She looked at the Death Eater whose face seemed to show that he just registered what he had done and that he too, obviously, had no idea what was going to happen. As the spell hit Katy's chest there was an eerie scream that sounded like Katy's voice but she knew she hadn't made the sound and then she felt pain like she'd never imagined it. It wasn't the physical pain the Cruciatus Curse usually causes, but it was a raw, terrible emotional pain. Katy managed to be alarmed through her haze of pain as white smoke seemed to emit from her very skin. Black smoke began coming from the direction of the Death Eater and Katy felt herself being pulled forward, her feet dragging on the ground as she tried in vain to fight what was happening to her. The eerie scream was still there, but it had quieted to almost a haunting songlike background noise. The black and white smoke had mingled together and then the black smoke was engulfing Katy. She felt tears pouring down her face and then she started feeling pain in a physical way. It felt like her head was on fire, her skull; her very scalp seemed to burn. She lifted her hand to touch them and pulled it away, she had burn blisters on her fingers where they had touched her hair. She looked at her hands in terror and then the world went black for Katy Cupit.

Katy's body was shaking, trembling and it slowly lifted into the air. James got off the ground, taking advantage of the momentarily distracted Death Eaters. He rushed over to where Katy was rising into the air, but one of the Death Eaters noticed him. There was a cry of "_Stupefy!_" And then James was being flung into the air where he hit something and then everything went black for James Potter as well.

Katy was laying on the ground in a meadow, or grassy field of some sort. She had a headache worse than any she had ever had before. Turning to her side, she saw James, lying face up, staring blankly up at the sky. Headache forgotten, Katy rushed to his side.

"James!" She shouted, shaking him. "James are you alright? What happened? We were attacked. And then I was cursed. And what happened? Where are we?" James didn't move, didn't even blink. "James!" She bellowed into his ear and he flinched slightly. Relief flooded Katy as she collapsed onto the ground. She looked around. She had never seen the place she was in before. She tried hard to remember what had happened. She knew she had been Crucioed and all she remembered was her head hurting, her hands burning and then everything blanking out. She looked down at her hands; they were perfectly intact. A new thought crossed her mind. "James?" She asked timidly as he slowly sat up. "Are we dead?"

James looked blearily around at their surroundings. He blinked a few times then his eyes widened in horror as he started at Katy.

"What?" She asked, panicking and looking behind her. "What's wrong." He raised a trembling hand and pointed directly at her face. "My face?" He shook his head and pointed a little higher. "My head?" He nodded. She remembered the pain she had experienced and wondered if her head had been cracked open. James reached up to his own head and tugged on his hair, still looking at Katy with blank shock. Katy touched her own hair and pulled her hand away, her hair was hot to the touch. She pulled a strand of curls and realized it was much longer than it should be. Her hands pulled the too warm hair to test its length. Katy had no idea why the curse had lengthened her hair, but it now went almost to her waist. "My hair is longer…" She said, frowning at the ground.

"Black." James croaked. It was the first thing he had said, and his voice sounded different somehow.

"Sirius is here?" Katy looked around, alarmed. If she was dead, she did not want Sirius to be there, that would mean he was dead too. But something dark whipped her in the face as she turned. Her eyes widened in comprehension at what James had meant. Her hair had more than doubled in length and it had turned jet black. She remembered the black smoke and shuddered.

"Katy?" James whispered. He looked like a scared little child. "Katy, are we alive?"

"I don't know. How can we be? I don't know where we are or how we got here."

"Well, then we should find out."

"How?"

"We'll have to explore our surroundings." He said, struggling to get up. Katy gingerly got to her feet and helped James up. He was having a hard time standing and Katy looked down at his legs, one of his ankles was swollen and purple.

"You broke your ankle." She said and he stared down, aghast, at his ankle. "So we must be alive. If we're dead, we wouldn't be feeling pain. Right?" She added uncertainly. James fumbled around, trying to gather the strength to control his hands and pulled his wand out of his pocket. It took him four tries, but he managed to conjure a pair of crutches. He then immediately began scanning the horizon. "What are you looking for?" Katy asked.

"An owl. I just did underage magic. So hopefully an owl from the Ministry will come warning me that I just broke the law. That way we'll know we're alive." Katy began eagerly looking into the skies, and after ten minutes they both had to admit that no owl was coming. "So we must not be…" James faltered. "We must be… not living." He said it and tears began streaming down his face. "How? How could they kill us?" He moaned.

"Wait!" Katy said, a new idea coming to her, but she knew it was unlikely and probably just desperation that made it come to her. "Maybe we're somewhere untrackable! So they can't send us an owl. Or maybe it went to your house." Her eyes lit up. "Maybe it's there now, showing your parents that we are still alive." Suddenly her eyes clouded over. "What happened to them?" she asked miserably.

"They Appirated away. They're safe." He said, but he didn't sound like he believed it.

"But they can't go back to your house. I'll bet there are hundreds of Death Eaters waiting there in case they got away from the ones that ambushed us."

"Well, let's see if we can find anyone." James suggested. "Maybe there's a town nearby."

"If we're dead I doubt there's a town nearby." Katy said frowning.

"Maybe we aren't dead." James said and began hobbling across the field with his crutches. Katy quickly followed him, silent tears cascading down her cheeks as she thought of all the people she was sure she would never see again.

_you gotta love me now. i really want to know what your opinions are about what happened. i really do. and just to further peak your interest i will say it is possible they are not in the same situation... :D_


	37. Chapter 36

_i won't waste your time with my babbling just now... but i will say i am severly disappointed by the lack of anything you all._

Chapter 36  
_various people_

Mrs. Potter hit the ground with an angry thud. She had Appirated out of the car clutching her son and husband. She opened her eyes

"James?" She asked. Somehow her right side felt strangely empty. She could feel her husband next to her on the left side, but she could not feel a body beside her on the right. She turned to her right. James was not there. James was not there? She jumped up, looking frantically around. He had to be here. She closed her eyes tight and then she knew. She remembered feeling a jolt as she was sucked into Appiration she suddenly realized that James had been ripped away from her. He was still there. He was in the car. "Mark!" She cried, panicking. "Mark, James is gone! He's still in the car and…" she broke off, staring the other twosome on the ground nearby. Another pair of people that should have been a trio. "…and so is Katy."

Mark Potter shot up from the ground. He looked to the empty patch of ground his wife was pointing at, the patch of ground that should've had his son on it. He followed his wife's other hand and saw she was pointing at Lucie and Mr. Wood. Katy was not there.

"They're still in the car!" Mr. Potter shouted and Lucie and Mr. Wood both opened their eyes, Lucie sat up first rubbing her head.

"What's happened?" She said, looking alarmed at Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

"Katy and James." Mrs. Potter said numbly. "Katy and James." Lucie spun around. She grabbed her father and pulled him up as if checking to see if he was on top of her sister. Lucie let out a little moan.

"Where is my sister?" she asked breathlessly. "Where is Katy?" Mr. Potter didn't even care that Lucie hadn't mentioned James, he understood. Mrs. Potter had tears on her face as she looked at Lucie with the most sadness Mr. Potter had ever seen on her face. He knew she was preparing to tell Lucie that in two consecutive summers she had lost her mother and sister. Mrs. Potter opened her mouth but was cut off by loud, raking sobs coming from Mr. Wood's slumped figure on the ground.

The Death Eaters were confused. They didn't know what to do. They didn't know what had just happened. Their leader had Crucioed a Cupit and it had had a truly strange affect on her. Just as she was rising into the air the Potter boy had tried to reach her and had been Stunned by one of the other Death Eaters. The force of the spell had sent him flying upward where he had collided with the girl and both of them had disappeared with a loud cracking noise.

It couldn't have been Appiration. Both of them were two young to know how to Appirate and you had to want to do it, two underage and, not to mention unconscious, kids could not have Appirated anywhere.

With one loud crack the four of them appeared on the road which they had been driving on. They didn't know exactly where the thing had happened, so they began walking down it in the direction they thought was the one they had been traveling on. They walked in complete silence, 

each of them jumping miles into the air if a bird called overhead, or it one of them stepped on a pebble in the road. They rounded a corner and each of them let out a simultaneous cry of pain. There was the wreckage of the Potter's car, it had obviously been blown up by a spell. Lucie rushed over to it, dreading that she would find her sisters mangled body.

"They aren't in here." She said flatly when she poked her head into the ruined car.

"_Homenum revelio._" Mrs. Potter said pointing her wand in one direction while Mr. Potter and Mr. Wood said the same spell pointing their wands in other directions. None of the spells did anything except reveal Lucie who was in plain sight.

* * *

After hour of searching the surrounding area, the four of them were forced to accept that their loved ones were not there. Mrs. Potter gathered the other three around her and Appirated to the only place she could think of and the only man she could think of who would help. They appeared on High Street in Hogsmeade and without a word they all began trudging up to the castle. Mrs. Potter was praying that Dumbledore was still in the castle After all, the school year had only finished earlier that day. Mrs. Potter was surprised to realize that. The last hour of her life had felt like years. They got up to the castle and knocked on the door. It was opened by Argus Filch, the caretaker.

"We need to see the headmaster." Mr. Potter chocked out. Filch regarded them suspiciously for a moment and then turned and they followed him up to the headmaster's office.

"Cockroach Cluster." Said Filch and the stone gargoyle leapt out of the way and they went up the spinning staircase to the office. Filch knocked on it and when they heard Professor Dumbledore's voice saying "Come in" Mrs. Potter almost fell over with relief.

Filch opened the door and then shut it as soon as they were inside they heard him descend the stairs and leave before anyone said anything. Then they all started talking at once and after about a minute, Dumbledore, who looked worried, if a little confused, held up his hand and then gestured to Mrs. Potter to speak.

"We were driving home after picking up Lucie, Katy and James from King's Cross and then we were surrounded by Death Eaters. We tried to Appirate, or rather we did Appirate but something happened so that Katy and James were ripped away from us and we Appirated away, we went to the little wood behind their old house." Mrs. Potter pointed at Mr. Wood and Lucie. "We had agreed if anything happened to go there. I just woke up this morning thinking something bad would happen. Anyway, that's all we know. They weren't with us and then we went back to where we had been and they were gone and the car had been blasted to smithereens." She broke out in sobs and sat down in the chair in front of the desk.

"Is that all that remained?" Dumbledore asked slowly. "No sign of either your son or Miss Cupit?"

"Nothing." Sobbed Mrs. Potter.

"I see." He said, sitting down on his desk and facing the four of them. "Do you have any idea who any of these Death Eaters were?" They all shook their heads and Dumbledore surveyed them gravely. "Well, I'm afraid there is nothing I can do at the moment to fix this immediately. 

However, I can promise that the Ministry will be informed about this and I will do everything I can to get them back." He said and Lucie found comfort in his voice and knowing presence. She didn't doubt he would get her sister back, and James too.

Lucie watched as Dumbledore wrote a letter to the Misister of Magic himself informing him that two sixteen year old students were missing and the last thing known was that they had been attacked by Death Eaters. He sent it with one of the school's owls.

"I'm afraid all we can do now is wait." He said soberly.

* * *

Katy was terrified. She was holding onto James' arm like it was lifeline, although, she thought to herself bitterly, she might not have a life to protect anymore. He was hobbling on his crutches as they crossed the meadow they had landed in. Katy was still mystified as to how they ended up in that place and it was what made her think most that they were both dead, but she didn't say anything, already scared enough that she didn't want to voice any more fears.

They made it to the edge of the field and found a road. The sun was beginning to set and Katy was exhausted. She and James flopped down beside the road.

"Maybe someone will come by." Katy said hopefully. They waited for what felt like hours. Finally a car approached. There was a man and a woman inside. The man pulled the car up to the side of the road.

"What are you do-" He broke off, gasping as he saw James' ankle. "What happened?"

"We don't know." James said quickly. "Is there a town nearby?"

"Yes, yes, get in the car, I'll take you to the hospital." The man lifted James up and set him carefully down on the back seat. Katy squeezed in next to him. "Brother and sister are you?" Katy feared for this man's sanity for a moment. She and James looked nothing alike and then she remembered her hair was now black.

"Yeah." She gulped.

"James Potter." James said. Katy had no idea why he had given her real name, but decided to follow suit.

"Katy… Potter." She said, stopping herself from saying Cupit just in time. "Where are we, sir?" She asked.

"Kingston." He answered. "You two from around here?"

"No." Katy answered quickly. "We're from…" she cut off, not knowing what to say. She didn't really trust this man, after what had just happened, however she was grateful for what he had done.

"Scotland." James supplied. She looked at him in a questioning way and he mouthed "Hogwarts" at her. "Hogsmeade." He said and her jaw dropped, was he trying to give away the existence of the magical world?

"Hogsmeade. Never heard of it."

"It's up in the mountains. Tiny little town. Most people don't even believe it exists." Katy held back a snort. "it's not on hardly any maps. I only know of one and it is of just the immediate area nearby." This time Katy really did snort. She knew he was talking about the map that he, Sirius, Remus and Peter had created.

The car rounded a bend in the road and a neat little town was sprawling out in front of them. The man did not turn down the road to go into town however and kept on the highway road until they reached a sign that said to turn left for Kingston Hospital. He parked in the Emergency Room entrance parking area and lifted James out of the backseat, carrying him in the waiting room. He went up to the reception nurse. Katy wasn't sure what to do. She wanted James to be okay again, but what exactly did Muggles do with broken limbs?

"This boy's hurt himself, badly." He said plainly. "Looks like a broken ankle to me." The reception woman picked up a walkie-talkie and said "broken ankle, front desk, emergency" into it. Two minutes later two nurses came rushing out with a gurney and the man lay James down on it.

"Are you his father?" The older nurse asked.

"No, we," he pointed to him and his wife. "found these two on the side of the road. That's his sister." The nurse looked down at Katy.

"What's your name?"

"Katy Potter." she said clearly, not faltering this time. "And he's my brother James. He was born March 27, 1960."

"So he's sixteen?" the nurse asked and Katy nodded. "How old are you?" the nurse asked. "Fifteen." Katy lied. "May 22," She decided to keep the day right, so as to make their story simpler. "1961."

"Alright, and where are your parents?" The nurse asked, jotting all this information down on a clipboard as the other nurse pushed James down the hall next to them.

"I don't know." Katy said, fighting back sobs. "We… got lost."

"Well where were you supposed to be with your parents?"

"Far away. We got lost and then we tried to find our way back and we couldn't and then we decided to look for a road or something and we were walking all day and then James climbed a tree to see if he could see anything around us and he fell out, that's how he hurt his ankle, and so then I've been helping him along and we finally found a road where those people picked us up and brought us here." Katy wildly made up.

"How long have you two been lost?" The nurse asked, clearly concerned.

"Well, we got lost last night." James croaked from the gurney he was laying on. And it didn't help that it was dark, that's why we got more lost and we've been wandering around ever since."

"You know when you get lost you should stay put, so that it is easier to find you." The nurse scolded, but her eyes softened when she saw tears forming in Katy's eyes. "However, I am sure that either in tomorrow's paper or even possible today's there will be something about you two. You can't have gone too far, so I'm sure our local paper will have the story and then you will be right here waiting for your parents because that ankle is going to take quite a while to heal." James paled and Katy started crying again though for a very different reason than the nurse thought. They couldn't wait here for a long time. Especially with James hurt, that was just asking for the Death Eaters to come and get them.

The nurse got James set up in a bed and called in the reception desk lady. She asked her to call the police station. Katy was alarmed and it must have shown because the nurse turned to address her, a kind look of pity on her face.

"You haven't done anything wrong. I think if would be best however, if we took a few pictures of the two of you and printed them in the paper saying you were alive and well." The word alive hit Katy like a physical blow, only it was joyful. She had forgotten all about how worried she and James had been about if they were dead. But they weren't, they just couldn't be. She was suddenly very keen on getting her picture in the paper. She was sure her dad and the Potters would do everything they could to find her and James, and perhaps even ask Muggle police to search for the two missing people.

Two hours later, a pair of police officers came into James' room. They had Katy sit on the bed next to James and they snapped a few pictures. Then they began questioning the two of them. Katy told them their names, their birthdates and that they were from Scotland. She told them they lived way up in the mountains and she didn't know of any town nearby. Katy was thankful the man from the car was gone because James had told him they lived in a town called Hogsmeade. Finally the police officers left, promising they would be on the front page of the next days paper.

* * *

Lucie woke up the next morning hating life. First her mother and then her sister. Summer was rapidly becoming her least favorite time of year. No one said much of anything for the entire day. They were staying at the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade because Dumbledore said he would be able to get information to them fastest if they were nearby.

Three days later and nothing had changed, there was no new information, there was nothing, good or bad. Lucie had fallen into a deadly dull routine, but my masking any emotion, she could make it through her day without breaking down.

All of a sudden it had been a week and a half since the disappearance of Katy and James. Lucie was starting to tell herself they weren't coming back. She had nothing to do, as usual, that day and so she decided now was the time to write a few letters.

_Dear Sirius,_

She had no idea how to write a letter saying his best friend and his girlfriend had been attacked by Death Eaters almost two weeks before and no one had seen or heard from them since.

_I don't know how to write this letter, but it's no use beating around the bush. When we were driving home from the train station we were attacked. We tried to Appirate out, but somehow James and Katy got separated from us and we don't _

_know where they are. They can't have gotten away because we Appirated away without them after they were thrown off of us. We went back to where we had been and the car was blown up and they weren't there. It's been almost two weeks and we've heard nothing about them. I really don't want to think they're dead, but I honestly can't come up with anything else. If you want to write back, we're currently staying at the Three Broomsticks. Me, my dad and James' parents would be the "we" I meant._

_Sorry I had to tell you this…  
Lucie_

She knew it was a sort of harsh letter, but if she did anything other than state it like random facts she would burst into tears and she just couldn't. She wrote almost exactly the same letter another five times and mailed them all to her sister and James' friends.

Lucie knew the letters would start fires everywhere they went, but she thought they had kept the friends in the dark too long.

* * *

Katy was pacing up and down by the foot of the bed James was laying in.

"How can we have no news?" She grumbled.

"Because we aren't in contact with the wizarding world. It's not like we're getting the _Daily Prophet_ here." He winced in pain as he sat up. "Besides, with this stupid Muggle medicine, I can't even get up for another few days, let alone walk. And the nurses know we have nowhere to go so I doubt they will let us march out the door when my ankle is healed. Our parents are going to have to come get us for us to go anywhere. Or they'll send us to an orphanage or something." He glared at the room. "I hate this place. We've been here a week and I hardly feel any better."

"They've been printing the bit about us three times a week on the front page. Maybe some wizards will notice and show it to someone who can alert our parents." She said with much more hope in her voice than she felt. "It's only been a two weeks. They can't have just given us up for dead and stopped looking." She was mostly trying to convince herself of that, but it wasn't working.

* * *

There was a knock on the door of the bedroom Lucie was staying in.

"Come in." She called. The door opened and the young barmaid, Madame Rosmerta entered.

"You've got a visitor." She said, smiling kindly at Lucie. Madame Rosmerta did not know the full extent of what had happened, but she knew that something bad happened. "Sirius Black is down there." She ushered Lucie down the stairs, Lucie was wishing she could run upstairs and hide under the bed more and more with every step she went down.

She got into the bar and immediately saw Sirius. He was sitting, completely still which surprised Lucie, she didn't think it was possible for him to be still for more than about thirty seconds. She walked over to his table and sat down opposite him. He looked eagerly at her and opened his mouth. She knew what was coming and so just shook her head. He nodded and looked down, staring bitterly at the table.

"I hate them!" He said loudly, looking up at Lucie with a kind of desperation. "Every single one of them!" Lucie let him rant, she had ranted plenty of times herself in the past three weeks. She sat there and let him yell for a full ten minutes before he seemed to run out of breath and he fell silent again. Another ten minutes and he looked up at her and she knew he was serious about whatever as going through his head.

"I want to help find them."

"If they exist to find." Lucie muttered.

"I know they might be dead, but their bodies must still exist?" He said it with a kind of pleading and Lucie was really starting to get a new perspective on Sirius. While he may be a light hearted prankster, he really had a heart when it came to the people he cared about.

"I guess." Lucie shrugged. She didn't really want to think about her sister's body. She had shied away from anything to do with her mother's death and nothing was different about her sister.

"I want to search everywhere. Every bit of England. Every bit of Europe. Every bit of the world until I find them." Sirius said stubbornly, almost like he thought she had told him he couldn't.

"Okay." Lucie said. "I'm not stopping you."

"Is there really nothing?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing."

"Let's just say they survived. And let's say they're together. Where would they go?"

"Home maybe." Lucie said, but she didn't really think so. They wouldn't go back to the Potter's house. It was probably surrounded by Death Eaters.

"Where else?" Sirius asked impatiently. "I'm going to go everywhere they might be."

"How do you plan on getting to all these places?" Lucie asked, frowning at him.

"It doesn't matter." He said, frowning back. "Now where else would they be?"

"I don't know. We didn't go a lot of places when we were young. The only places either of them were really attached to was home and Hogwarts. Besides the _Daily Prophet_ ran a piece about them about a week ago, so if anyone spots them, we're sure to know."

"Maybe they'll be hard to recognize." Sirius whispered and Lucie knew she wasn't supposed to hear it, but she did. "Besides, maybe some Muggles found them. They sure won't be looking in the _Daily Prophet._"

"I guess so." Lucie said noncommittally.

* * *

"Come on James, you've been walking for sixteen years. It can't be that hard to relearn!" Katy was getting a bit exasperated. She knew it wasn't fair, but she got riled up easily these past few weeks, particularly with Muggles and various parts of the whole Muggles-healing-James part of their lives.

"This leg is _useless_. Absolutely useless." James said disgustedly. "Madame Pomphrey would have fixed this in a few hours. Maybe overnight, but not much longer. It was just a broken bone!" James, too, had been more irritable and the various nurses and doctors the dealt with daily had noticed.

"What do mean 'just a broken bone'?" Came the main nurse's voice, outraged, from the door to their room. "And I guarantee you; no one could heal a broken bone in a few hours. Or overnight." She added sharply. "I know it must be discouraging," her tone softened. "Not being able to walk and hearing nothing from your parents after three weeks, but things will get better."

"I hate casts." James growled. "We must have done something to get into that field. Let's do it again and get into the Hospital Wing." He said to Katy in an undertone. She giggled.

"You're already in a hospital, young man." The nurse said sternly. James rolled his eyes. The nurse pursed her lips and left the room.

"A rubbish hospital." James spat at the door the minute it closed. He sat down on the bed, muttering nasty things about the nurse, the cast, the hospital and his ankle. Katy caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror through the open door and jumped a few feet. She was still startled when she saw herself. The black hair had not gone away, the new length had not changed. She decided she was done with this stupid new version of herself. Even if it alarmed the nurses, she wanted her old hair back. Katy pulled her wand out and pointed it at her head.

"_Finite incantatem!_" She said forcefully. Nothing happened. She tried again and still, nothing happened.

* * *

In the Muggleborn Young Witches and Wizards Dept. at the Ministry of Magic, a notice appeared on Doris Darkling's desk. It informed her of magic being performed in a small town called Kingston. She pointed her wand at the large file cabinet across the room at her and summoned the file about young muggleborns that had so far been noticed. There was nothing about Kingston in her file, no young girl or boy who would learn they were a witch or wizard that they already knew about. _It must be a first time occurrence_, she thought with a smile. Doris reread the notice that had appeared. _That's odd,_ she thought, _it usually it has the name of the child._ She reread the paper at least ten times before accepting it did not have a name on it. All of a sudden a second paper appeared there on her desk identical to the one that came not ten minutes earlier. It had the same message, magic had been performed in Kingston.

Doris came to the conclusion it had been an underage witch or wizard performing the spell. She took the letter to Dawn Meadows and showed it to her.

"What do you think it means?" Doris asked. "I've never seen one like it before."

"Neither have I." mused Dawn. "It usually has the name." She looked around the room thoughtfully. "How do we not know who it is? Can we figure out the wand being used?" She looked up at Doris, who frowned.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps if they continue to use magic." As if on cue, another letter dropped out of the sky and landed in Doris' hands. She read it outloud. "'After two uses of _Finite incantatem_, an cutting spell was attempted in Kingston, England at 3:46 pm today.' What's that supposed to mean?" She frowned at Dawn who looked confused. "A cutting spell? As in hair cutting? So we've got an underage witch or wizard, probably a witch if they are cutting their hair. So this girl is somehow unknown, just the fact that she is doing magic is all that we can discover. She must be somewhere with a lot of Muggle electricity. Rather like how electricity doesn't work in places with a lot of magic, magic is harder to track in areas with lots of electricity. Still works just fine though, so I can't think why the girl in doing _Finite incantatem_ twice. Maybe someone cursed her hair and now she is trying to cut it off…" Doris gave Dawn a nod of farewell and went back down the hall to her own office. She spent the rest of the afternoon completely baffled as more and more of these strange letters informing her of magic came streaming in at an almost constant pace.

* * *

"Katy what are you doing?" James called from the main room. "You've been grumbling in there for over half an hour. And why do you keep doing _Finite incantatem_ and the hair cutting spell?"

"I am tired of my hair!" Katy shouted back. "I want my real hair back!"

"You might just have to let it grow back." James said. Katy's head and long black ringlets appeared around the door.

"Are you serious?" She froze, blinking back tears as that phrase, that word, cut her in two. "Are you kidding?" She tried again. "I'd look like a demented zebra! Besides, it's been three weeks and there is no lightness at my scalp. Trust me I check it every morning. I don't think my blonde hair is ever coming back!"

"Katy, he misses you. I know he does." James said, motioning her over onto the bed. She sat down.

"I'll write him a letter!" She jumped up.

"That wouldn't work. Muggles don't know his house exists." James grinned. "It would never get to him."

"Yes it would!" Katy said excitedly. "There are wizards at the post office. Cause Lily was telling me about how her sister sent a letter to Dum-" She broke off remembering how Lily had made her swear not to tell anyone. "Nevermind, but I know there are wizards in the post office. It could work! We could tell him where we are and we could get out of here!" She looked at James who still didn't seem to believe her. "We could go visit Madame Pomphrey." She added temptingly.

"Ha ha." He said raising his eyebrows at her. "I still doubt it would work."

* * *

Doris had been wondering about the mysterious messages she gotten all of the next day. Finally, just twenty minutes before she was going to go home, she decided to show them to someone else. She found the head of the Dept. of Magical Law Enforcement, she couldn't remember his name, she rarely saw him, he was always so busy.

"How can I help you?" he asked her bluntly when she stepped inside his office.

"Well," she began timidly. "There's been something strange happening in a town called Kingston that I thought you might want to know about." He looked up and nodded for her to continue. "We've got letters, like the kind we get about when a muggleborn shows their first signs of magic, all day yesterday about magic being performed but it wouldn't say by who." She held up the letters. "Here, I've got them with me." She handed them to him and he took them, looking very interested. She said goodbye and quickly left the room. The man had always sort of intimidated her.

_hahaha nothing was resolved! grins like a maniac_

_just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait!_


	38. Chapter 37

_last time it's lots of people, at least for now. perhaps it will happen again later... _

Chapter 37  
_various people_

James had become rather accomplished on his crutches. He could make it around the room quite quickly and easily. Katy was sitting on the bed giving him scores from 1 – 10 on his technique when the nurse came in looking very grave.

"I'm afraid I have bad news." She said and sat down in the chair next to the bed, motioning James to come back over. "We haven't heard anything from your mum or dad," Katy's vision got blurry, it always did when someone asked them about their parents. It was ridiculous that they couldn't leave. If the people would only take them to London they could get to the Leaky Cauldron and get back in the magical world. "And the hospital tells me that you two have to leave." Katy gaped at the woman. "We never keep patients this long anyway, they are usually taken home by their families as soon as they have the cast on. We can't keep you here because the room is being wasted if we aren't getting any money for it. I've been told I have to have you out of here by the end of the week."

"Take us to London!" Katy begged, her eyes widening as she thought how it was perfect, this thing the nurse was so upset about. James also looked at her like she was mad. "We know this place our parents go to a lot. The Leaky… Pot." She improvised and James snorted but she knew he understood what she was getting at. "The barman, he knows us, he'll know where our parents are and how to find them."

"I suppose that might be arranged. I think there is a nurse in Maternity who is going to London this weekend. She might be able to take you two with her."

"Please, please, please, please!" James said, smiling his most innocent, please-do-this-for-me smile.

"I'll have to call her. I suppose I might as well do it now." She went over to one of the many odd contraptions on the wall and picked it up. Katy watched, mystified, as she pushed some numbers on the bit she pulled off the wall and held it up to her face so that it was next to her cheek, from her ear to her mouth.

"Yes, Judy… hi, it's Susan…. I'm doing great, how about you…. are you still going up to London on Friday? Wonderful…. There's two kids here who need a ride up to London, could they come with you? That would be terrific. They need to go to a little pub or café or something. Thank you so much Judy." She hung up the thing back on the wall.

"What…. Bu… how did you do that?" James asked, pointing from her to the thing on the wall.

"Are you telling me you've never seen a telephone before?" Katy slapped herself in the head, earning her an odd look from both of the other two in the room. They had talked about telephones in Muggle Studies.

"There's no…" She silently cursed, she forgot the word she needed. "They don't work where we live."

"You have no electricity?" The nurse looked at her, alarmed. She nodded and James stared on, completely confused.

On Friday, James, Katy and the Maternity nurse named Judy piled into her car and she drove out of the town. Katy shrieked about fifteen minutes into the drive because they passed what was clearly the remains of the Potter's car.

"Stop the car!" She shouted and Judy slammed on the brakes, looking terrified. Katy jumped out and saw that the three trunks that belonged to her, James and Lucie were still there. She grabbed one of them and lugged it back to Judy's car. She did the same with the second. When she got the third one, Judy stopped her.

"Excuse me, Miss Potter, but we cannot steal trunks from a car accident." She said, frowning in a way that reminded Katy of McGonagall.

"This is our car." Judy's jaw dropped.

"You were in a car crash?"

"Yes and then we got lost." Judy opened her mouth to protest. "Please don't contradict." She loaded the trunks into the back of the car and sat down next to James who looked really quite pleased.

Katy had always been bad at giving directions so James told Judy how to get to the Leaky Cauldron. Katy wasn't sure what to do then, because she knew that, as a Muggle, Judy would not be able to see the Leaky Cauldron. Katy pulled out her wand and made the trunks light so that she could carry all three of them. She didn't really care if she got expelled from Hogwarts for the amount of underage magic she had performed in the last month.

"Come on James." She said and he hobbled over to the front of the door. "Thanks for the ride."

She heard Judy calling "But your Leaky what's-it-called place isn't here!" Before she entered the Leaky Cauldron and looked out the door to see Judy's bamboozled face at the complete disappearance of the two people she had just spent an hour on the road with.

* * *

"Lucie!" Mrs. Potter's voice shouted, she sounded happy, excited even, something that Lucie had not heard in her voice for weeks. Lucie too, had reason to be happy. Someone had just shown her something that made her day, although it also spooked her rather a lot. Lucie kept hold of the newspaper and rushed back inside the Three Broomsticks. Mrs. Potter was waving a small pile of papers at her. "We've just been shown these. Someone from the Ministry gave them to us. There is unexplained magic being performed in a town called Kingston!" Mrs. Potter was practically glowing. Lucie's heart leapt, it wasn't all a dream, the paper in her hand.

"That's them, I know it is. Look!" She threw the newspaper in her hand on the table. It was a Muggle paper, called the _Kingston Gazette_ and there was the very top of what must have been a huge picture on the front page. It had been ripped off, so that only the few sentences above it were on the paper Lucie had.

"'James and Katy Potter, siblings, ages sixteen and fifteen found lost just outside the town of Kingston. Found on June 29th. Are being kept in Kingston Hospital because the boy has a broken 

ankle. Parents please contact the hospital to come collect your children.'" Mrs. Potter read and tears began pouring down her face. "James has a broken ankle." She said, a tide of worry overcoming her. "Let's go." She grabbed Lucie and Lucie felt herself being sucked into the tight tubes she hated so much. When she finally could breathe again, she looked around. She and Mrs. Potter were standing in a parking lot, the front entrance to Kingston Hospital just in front of them.

Mrs. Potter pulled Lucie into the front waiting room and marched up to the lady at the desk.

"I want my son." She said, frowning at the lady behind the desk.

"And who might you be?" The lady was clearly affronted and Lucie couldn't blame her.

"We're looking for James and Katy… Potter." Lucie said, trying hard not to look like she was saying "Katy Potter" for the first time.

"Mrs. Potter?" The woman looked at Mrs. Potter with new kindness. "Yes, right this way please." She led the two of them partway down a hall and then turned around to face them abruptly. "Who is this?" She asked, pointing at Lucie as though she hadn't really noticed her before.

"My other daughter." Mrs. Potter lied quickly. "Lucie Potter."

"Doesn't much look like the other two." The woman said thoughtfully. Lucie was alarmed for her sanity. She and Katy looked practically identical, Lucie just had slightly darker hair.

"Well, she's adopted, now let's keep going." The woman shrugged and led them down hallway after hallway until she finally reached a doorway that she stopped in front of. She knocked twice.

"Susan, you told me you would be in here. I think I've found them." The door opened almost immediately and there was a very conflicted looking nurse.

"I…" She began.

"Where are they?" Mrs. Potter asked, frantically looking around the room.

"They aren't here anymore…" The nurse, Susan, said slowly.

"What do you mean?" Lucie interrupted loudly.

"They went to London. They said they knew a place called the Leaky something or other that you went to a lot. So they got a ride to London and they're going there."

Mrs. Potter could barely control her excitement. They were alive and they were at the Leaky Cauldron. She grabbed Lucie and ran out of the hospital, Appirating as soon as they were out of eyesight of the front desk lady.

* * *

"James what are you doing?" Katy asked, frowning, fearing for James' sanity as she he was rubbing his arm up and down against the wall of the room they had gotten from Tom, the barman.

"These stupid clothes they gave me, they itch."

"Well, you can change later. Let's go downstairs and ask Tom if he knows anything about what happened to us and where our families might be." Katy said, and without giving James the opportunity to protest, she pulled him, as gently as she could as he was still on those ridiculous crutches, and brought him downstairs. They sat down at a table and waited for Tom to come and find them.

* * *

Mrs. Potter rushed into the bar, scanning it. There was an old couple, a family, a group of about seven teenagers, some goblins and a few pairs of people she couldn't really see.

"They aren't here." She said, frowning at Lucie. There are no two people who look like them.

"That boy kind of looks like James. Only those clothes are ridiculous and he would never wear them." Lucie said, pointing to a boy in a stripped sweater who was scratching his arm. "But I don't know who the girl is…" the girl with him had waist length black hair, obviously not Katy.

"There are only three people in the pub with blonde hair and none of them are Katy!" Mrs. Potter said and walked out of the pub to the back entrance into Diagon Alley. "Maybe they're here." She tapped the brick and she and Lucie went out into the sunlight street of Diagon Alley.

* * *

"Mark!" Mr. Wood called. "Mark come and look at this!" He had found the papers that Mrs. Potter and Lucie had left on the table in their hurry to leave. Mr. Potter came in to the Three Broomsticks, talking gravely with Sirius.

"We don't know where they are. We can't just trot off around the entire country looking for them."

"Yes we do!" Mr. Wood shouted. "Look!" He shoved the newspaper clipping at the other two and they both looked up at him.

"Where did you find this?" Sirius asked. Mr. Wood pointed to the table.

"Then Mrs. Potter and Lucie must have gone and left this stuff here." Sirius continued. "Let's go!"

"No, let's give them some time. I'm sure they're just collecting them and bringing them back here."

Half an hour later, Sirius was pacing up and down in the Three Broomsticks.

"I don't think they're coming back right now. Maybe there was a problem, what if they got attacked again. It seems like the Death Eaters have got your family marked."

Sirius managed to convince to two fathers to go to the hospital and the three of them Appirated to Kingston Hospital. They ran inside.

"We're here for James and Katy…. Potter." Mr. Potter said, remembering that the clipping had said they were siblings.

"They left earlier today. For London. And then their mother and younger sister came to get them and also went to London." The reception lady looked strangely at the four of them. "Are you Mr. Potter?" She asked. Mr. Potter nodded. "Your kids aren't here anymore." She said in a bored voice and went back to the paperwork she had been working on.

"Do you know where in London?" Mr. Potter asked.

"Some pub called something about a pot." The woman shrugged and went back to her paperwork again.

"Thanks…" Mr. Potter said, frowning at her, but she didn't notice. "Well, let's just go to the Leaky Cauldron and see what we can find out from there." They went outside and Appirated, Sirius holding onto Mr. Potter. They entered the Leaky Cauldron and looked around, faces falling when they saw no one who could be Katy. They were mostly trying to spot her, because she was easier to pick out from behind.

* * *

"Tom must never leave this place. How did he not know _anything_?" Katy asked, aggravated as she and James sat at their table. She turned around and her jaw dropped. "James." She poked him harder than she meant to and he winced. "James is this a dream?" He looked at her funny and shook his head. "Look." She pointed and James almost fell out of his chair in surprise. Their fathers and Sirius were standing there, looking thoroughly disappointed.

* * *

Sirius was looking wildly around the Leaky Cauldron for a sign of Katy or James. He noticed a rather pretty girl with long black hair making eyes at him as if he should know who she was. She looked overjoyed to see him. He started back at her for a second, trying to figure out why something about her looked familiar and then the person behind her leaned over and he saw James.

"James!" Sirius roared and the two men next to him jumped about ten feet and looked in the direction Sirius was looking. Sirius bolted over to his friend, knocking chairs and people out of the way and pulled James into a tight, though very manly, hug. "Who's your friend?" He asked, pointing at the black haired girl. James burst out laughing and the girl huffed.

"Nice to see you too." Said Katy Cupit's voice and Sirius' eyes widened in shock. Katy grinned and kissed him full on the mouth. Mr. Potter and Mr. Wood had made it over by then and Katy and James were both pulled into tights hugs by their fathers.

* * *

Mrs. Potter was desperate to find James and Katy. The nurse said they had been dropped off in front of the Leaky Cauldron and they weren't inside and they weren't in Diagon Alley. She and Lucie trudged back to the Leaky Cauldron and were confronted with a sight that overjoyed and worried Mrs. Potter to no end. They were there. James and Katy. They were there, but they weren't themselves. Though she couldn't tell what, something was different about James and it was more than obvious what was different, at least physically, with Katy. Mrs. Potter doubted she would have recognized Katy if she had not known and then remembered, slapping herself mentally, that she and Lucie had seen them earlier and dismissed them as strangers because of Katy's new hair. She ran faster than she had run in many years and shoved her husband, Mr. Wood and Sirius out of the way and crushed both James and Katy into her.

"Oooowwww!" James yelled. "Mum, my ankle is broken, you're killing me!!" She let him go immediately and let Katy go as well.

"What happened to you guys? I want to know everything." She paused. "No, let's go back to our rooms at the Three Broomsticks."

"Well, our stuff is in a room upstairs." Katy said. "Why don't we all just go up there?" Everyone agreed and they all trooped up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Alright, Katy, you talk while I deal with this." Mrs. Potter pointed at the cast on her son's leg.

"Well, you know how it started. We were in the car and Mr. Potter braked and then we were going to Appirate and then the car jolted and I was thrown off my dad and hit James which knocked him away too and then you lot were gone." Katy was interrupted by Mrs. Potter saying "_Relashio!_" with her wand pointed at the cast. It cracked down the middle and flew off of James' leg. "We were in the car and then the big Death Eater blew it up and we went flying. Then he came at me and he tried to Crucio me, only you know it does weird stuff to a Cupit. I'll tell about that later. Anyway, I pretty much lost consciousness at that point and when I woke up we were in a meadow and my hair was like this and James' ankle was broken so we sort of limped our way over to a road and some Muggles found us and they took us to the hospital and we told them we were brother and sister and they did surgery on James and gave him the cast and then he couldn't walk and he finally learned how to walk and then the hospital kicked us out cause we couldn't pay the bills and one of the nurses gave us a ride up here and then we've been sitting down there all morning and then you lot found us." She finished quickly. They were all staring at her opened mouthed.

"How did you get in a field?" Lucie asked.

"No idea…" Katy responded.

"What happened when you got cursed?" Sirius asked, tentatively.

"Well. I started feeling really upset, sad, angry, emotional pain, the worst I've ever felt. And there was this like scream sound, sort of like a song almost in the background but maybe that was just my imagination. Then white smoke started coming out of me, like through my skin and the Death Eater who had cursed me had black smoke coming from him and then we were both sort of pulled together and then the black smoke sort of like attacked me and then my head started hurting and I tried to touch it but it burned my hands and then I lost consciousness." She said and everyone looked about ready to lose consciousness themselves. "You'd have to ask James about the rest." She added quietly and all eyes turned to James.

"Well, her body started shaking and then it started floating off the ground and I was sure that she was dead, but I didn't want to lose her body so I tried to run over to her and grab her but I got hit with a Stunner and I flew up and hit something, must have been her and then I went unconscious too. And then we both woke up in the field, like she said."

"I've never heard of anything like it before…" Mr. Wood said quietly, thoughtfully, to himself. "You can't have Appirated," he said louder to everyone. "Neither of you knows how and you 

were both unconscious. But you must have gotten their yourselves, because I'm sure the Death Eaters did not set you down nicely in a field and leave you there."

"Why is her hair…" Lucie started to ask and reached out to grab a curl but pulled back upon touching it. "Ouch!" She cried.

"It's been like that ever since it happened." Katy said, shrugging at her sister. She was beginning to come to terms with her new black hair. "Hot to the touch." She added, because the three adults and Sirius were looking at her funny. This didn't help.

"You're hair is hot to the touch?" Her father asked faintly. He reached and touched it, nothing but shock on his face. "It is…" There was about ten minutes of everyone touching Katy's hair and the conversation turned to it.

"I don't get why it changed." Katy said, "I mean, I don't mind it anymore, but it doesn't make sense. Somehow that black smoke did it. Cause that's when my head starting burning and it doesn't hurt me anymore, like I don't still feel like my head is on fire, but my hair is still hot to touch."

"I doubt any of us know why. So I suggest we go and see the man who alerted the authorities so that he can un-alert them." Mr. Potter said and they all stood up. They decided to Floo, even though it might startle Dumbledore.

They all came pouring out of his fireplace and he smiling in greeting to them. He beamed warmly at James and the only sign of recognition of anything different about Katy was that his eyes widened for a split second when he saw her.

Katy and James recounted their whole story to Professor Dumbledore who listened intently. He had Katy retell what had happened while she was being Crucioed a few times.

"As you well know, each girl in the Cupit family reacts differently to the Cruciatus curse." Dumbledore said slowly. "I have never heard of a physical change as the result, but then your family is not usually hated and so only six Cupit women have ever been subjected to the curse in your family's entire history."

"Okay." Katy said. She didn't really want to hear any more. She didn't want to know if it was going to change her personality for the rest of her life, or affect her in any other way.

It took most of the rest of the summer to get life back to normal. It also took about three days of solid arguing for James, Katy and Lucie to convince their parents to let them continue at Hogwarts. The Potters and Katy's father had bought houses next door to each other in a small Muggle town. They wanted to be close to each other, after all they had gone through almost everything together.

* * *

One morning, about a week before the new term was due to start, there was a knock on the Potter's front door. James was the one who answered the door, Sirius was standing there a look of determination on his face.

"What's up, mate?" James asked, grinning and started walking inside, knowing Sirius would follow him. "I didn't know you were visiting…"

"Well, technically I'm not. Nobody knows I'm here." Sirius answered flatly.

"Your mum's going to kill you." James said, whistling in disbelief. He knew that Sirius and his mum didn't get along, but leaving without telling? That was just stupid.

"No she won't." Sirius glared defiantly. "I'm never going back to that house. Ever. Nothing could make me go back."

"You ran away?" James said, not really believing Sirius.

"Well, I just sort of left. I was just mad. And I grabbed my trunk for Hogwarts, I was already packed, and so I left. And I took the Knight Bus here, cause I couldn't think of anywhere else to go. Can I stay here till school starts?" James nodded, looking at Sirius, still unsure. "I'll figure something out by the end of the year, so I won't be here next summer. I promise."

"Mum!" James yelled and Mrs. Potter came rushing into the room with her wand drawn. "Calm down Mum, it's just Sirius. He had a bit of a fight with his parents, so can he bunk here till school starts?"

"Is everything alright?" Mrs. Potter switched from defensive to caring mother.

"Yeah, it's fine." Sirius said, smiling his thanks to Mrs. Potter, he followed James up to his room.

_so what did you think? and i expect answers this time!!_


	39. Chapter 38

_this chapter was lots of fun to write. :D_

Chapter 38  
_Lily_

Lily was running down the corridor on the Hogwarts Express trying to find her friends. She had had the world's worst summer. First, she lost one of her two best friends, Severus. And that was even before the summer had started. She kept telling herself she didn't need him, she had Katy and then all of a sudden she didn't have Katy. Lily just about wanted to _Avada kedavra_ herself when she got the letter from Lucie. She hadn't gotten any letters from Katy yet during the summer which had been worrying her anyways.

She hadn't written back to Lucie for a few weeks, terrified if she did she would get a response saying "Oh well, we found her body. Sorry, she's dead." Lily knew she couldn't deal with that. When she did write back, she spent the next week in dread. She received a letter from Katy saying she was okay and almost died of happy shock. Katy had told her that her dad wasn't letting her go anywhere and so she would have to wait till term started to see her.

Lily was opening every compartment, looking eagerly around and shutting it, looking disappointed. Finally she found the one she wanted, upon opening the door, she found Mary and Aimy both sitting, staring like maniacs at Katy, although she looked weird. She had tucked all her hair up and had a hat on so she looked sort of bald because none of it was showing. Lily let out a high pitched shriek and ran to hug her best friend.

"So what ha-" Lily began, but was cut off immediately.

"Don't try, she says she doesn't want to talk about it, she wants to forget it as much as she can." Mary said, shrugging. "But, now take off that hat. You said you would when Lily got here." Katy smiled a little sadly and Lily didn't understand. "I'm telling you Kate, it's not your look." Mary continued.

"Fine." Katy said and reached up, but she paused with her hand on the hat. "But you can't ask me any questions at first. You're going to need time to recover from me shocking you all to death."

Lily was intrigued and a little concerned by this. Katy took a deep breath and held it in. She closed her eyes and pulled off her hat. Lily's eyes widened as jet black hair that was extremely long came tumbling off of Katy's head.

"Wh… I mean…. How… No, wait, no questions…" Lily said, quite sensibly. Katy snorted, letting out her breath and opening her eyes, looking fearfully from Lily, who was talking in an incoherent way, to Aimy, who seemed to be having an internal battle with herself, to Mary who was rubbing her eyes and blinking, apparently not believing the sight in front of her eyes.

"Okay." Mary was the first to regain the ability to control herself. "So I understand that sometime when people go through something traumatizing they want to change something about themselves, but isn't it usually emotional?"

"Oh ha, ha." Katy said, frowning, but clearly holding back a grin. "I didn't do this to myself. A Death Eater did." Lily went from shocked to horrified as Katy told them she had been Crucioed. 

She maintained what Mary had said when Lily first came in, and she wouldn't say anymore than that she had been cursed.

"I just don't know what people are going to think at school." She looked up hopefully, as if she had had a sudden idea. "Do people know what happened?"

"Oh yeah. You and James were front page news in the _Daily Prophet._ Both when you disappeared and when you were found." Aimy said and Katy's face fell.

"Well there goes all my hopes for a normal year at school…" Katy sighed. "I really wish life would go back to how it was before that stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-"

"Yes, we know that You-Know-Who is stupid Katy." Mary said grinning.

"Do you really?" Katy asked with mock concern. "Well, alright. I just wish he would disappear. Why is no one able to stop him?" She frowned and everybody sort of shrugged to themselves, not sure how to continue the conversation.

* * *

Lily could see Katy turning redder and redder and attempting to shrink out of sight as people stared at her coming into the castle. Katy was clearly trying to ignore them, but she wasn't doing a very good job. She seemed to be a mixture of embarrassed and angry and Lily knew that was a bad mixture to be.

After the sorting, Katy ate her food quite viciously and hurried from the Great Hall. Lily watched her, wanting dearly to follow her but knowing she couldn't because she had to help with the first years. Lily briefly wished she wasn't a prefect because she wanted to be with her friend. She was mostly happy, but a little worried when Black ran off after Katy. She knew Katy would appreciate him coming, but didn't know if he was quite what Katy needed just then.

Lily found that she had eaten rather quicker than usual and was bored out of her mind, willing the feast to end. She amused Remus to no end because she was walking so fast back to Gryffindor Tower most of the first years were running to keep up with her.

"Lily, what's the matter tonight?" He asked, jogging up to her and falling into her quick step. "You've been distracted all evening."

"Katy." Lily said firmly and Remus nodded.

"Sirius went to go talk to her." Remus said, but he chuckled to himself a moment later and Lily knew exactly what he had been trying to get across, but decided not to comment and just sniff pointedly. "Lily, you've got to let her deal with this her way." Remus said, replacing his grin with a serious expression. "She has had a lot to deal with this summer." Lily glanced sideways at him, unsure what he was getting at. Apparently he figured that out. "If being with Sirius helps her cope, let her." Lily scowled, but she knew Remus was right. She just couldn't see how being around Sirius Black would calm anyone down.

Lily opened her mouth to argue, but shut it quickly, turning in the opposite directing, fuming. Remus was startled, but looked over her shoulder and saw the offender.

"Can we please go? I am not in the mood to deal with him right now." She asked desperately.

"Yeah, come on, let's go this way. It's quicker than the way we were going." Remus grabbed her arm and pulled her down a different corridor, the confused first years following without question. Lily was utterly grateful Remus had understood her need to go somewhere else. "Lily, can you tell me what happened to Kate?" He asked, and from his face she could tell he meant it.

"Which part?" She asked miserably. She had a feeling she knew which part.

"Well, it probably sounds incredibly superficial and shallow, but why is her hair black and long?" He asked and Lily sighed.

"You know she's a Cupit, obviously and you know what's special about them. And how they have a weird reaction to being Crucioed." Remus gasped and looked at Lily in horror. Apparently Potter and Black did tell him that. Lily glanced behind her, it seemed a few first years had heard because they were whispering to themselves, utterly terrified and pointing at Lily until they saw her looking, tuned bright red and refused to look her in the face. "Anyway," Lily continued, lowering her voice. "She got Crucioed, and it somehow turned her hair black, and made it long. Nobody knows why, apparently not even Professor Dumbledore could tell her." Lily thought for a minute. "Well, she said she doesn't want to know anyway, so maybe Dumbledore does know but she wouldn't hear it. She is going to be so pissed by all the people staring and asking about it…" Lily said, awed by the idea of how Katy would react.

"You want to do the spiel or should I?" Remus asked and Lily laughed before pointing to herself and turning to the first years.

"Alright," She began commandingly; they had reached the portrait hole. "This was neither the most direct, nor the quickest way to get here from the Great Hall but this is the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. Feel free to ask Remus or I about a different way, or how to get here from other parts of the castle. Any other Gryffindor," She grinned and added under her breath, "except perhaps Potter and Black," Remus snorted but Lily pretended nothing had happened. "will be happy to assist you as well. Follow me please." Once inside the common room, Lily told the boys to follow Remus upstairs and led the new Gryffindor girl to the dormitory.

* * *

"Katy, I love your hair!"

"Did you dye it, that's so cool!"

"Oh, you got it longer! What spell do you use? Can you teach me?"

"I thought you liked your hair, what made you decide to change it?"

"That's such a cute new hairdo!"

The entire first week was filled with girls coming up and asking Katy questions about her hair, which meant she spent her first week seething at anyone and everyone who was not in her tight little circle of friends and knew better than to ask about her "newly dyed hair".

* * *

By the beginning of October, Lily was pleased that her sixth year was going so smoothly. She knew she was probably jinxing it by thinking about how well it was going, but it was. Katy was starting to be able to ignore people staring at her, Potter of course, loved it, but Katy was able to 

get over it. The stares were also becoming less frequent as it was older news and people were now used to Katy's long black hair.

"So, where to first?" Katy asked, her long hair flapping madly in the wind as they stood at the edge of Hogsmeade. It was the third weekend in October and their first Hogsmeade visit.

"The Three Broomsticks, I'm cold!" Mary said, hugging her arms to herself and jumping up and down on the spot.

"Well, if you'd worn a proper coat, you wouldn't be." Aimy said, looking superiorly at Mary from beneath her large, thick coat.

"Yes, but I want to look like a proper girl." Mary responded, sticking her tongue out at Aimy.

"I'd rather wear a funny coat and act my age than be cold and act like a two year old, Mary." Aimy said laughing. "Now let's go!" They trooped into the Three Broomsticks. Thankfully they were among the first to arrive in Hogsmeade, so the little inn wasn't too crowded. They sat down and Katy went to order four Butterbeers. Just as Katy got back, the four boys came in. Black bounded over to their table and kissed Katy on the cheek. She practically started glowing, and Lily knew it wasn't from the cold, when she looked up at him and offered him a seat. Lily groaned inwardly but knew she should have expected it.

"Oi! Prongs, over here!" Black bellowed and Potter looked up. It was those nicknames again! Lily wanted to know what they were and she was sure they had something to do with the secret way the four boys were helping Remus.

Potter, Remus and Peter came over to their corner and pulled a nearby table over so as to make room for eight people.

"You didn't order us any?" James said, frowning at Katy. "I'm hurt…" He grinned at her and she laughed at him.

"Order it yourself, you're a big boy." She said, shoving him out of his seat.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. You all want Butterbeer then?" Black opened his mouth but Potter beat him to it. "For the last time, Padfoot, Madame Rosmerta is not going to give you Firewhiskey." Lily snorted, but didn't say anything. Black closed his mouth, looking sour. "Pay up, gentlemen." Potter held out his hand and the other three all reached into their pockets, grumbling and pulled out their money. Potter grinned at them and hurried off to get the drinks. He came back with five.

"You do realize you only needed four drinks, right, James?" Katy asked, frowning and cocking her head to one side to look up at him.

"I thought I'd be nice and get one for you." he said but at the last minute he turned at held it out to Lily.

"That was pretty rough Kate." Mary said giggling.

"I don't want it. I have my own." Lily said, frowning at Potter.

"Well you seemed to be running low, so I thought I'd get you one." He grinned that stupid grin of his. "My treat." He set it down next to her and she regarded it warily. She didn't trust anything either Potter or Black gave her. "I didn't poison it." He said, sounding like he was trying to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal she had rejected his offer.

* * *

As they left, Lily was horrified to find herself next to Potter. Mary and Aimy had gone ahead, wanting to go and pick something up and Peter and Remus were talking just ahead of Black and Katy who were laughing together and holding hands. Lily and Potter were the last two out, and Lily was not pleased with the arrangement.

"So, Evans, have a nice summer?" He was clearly trying to make nice conversation. She glared at him. "Okay, I'll try again. So, _Lily_" he began, emphasizing her name as if to make it seem more personal. "Have a nice summer?"

"Terrific." She muttered. Neither one spoke for about a minute and then Potter seemed unable to stay quiet any longer.

"You didn't ask how my summer was." He said, and he almost sounded sad.

"I know how your summer was." She said, frowning at him.

"But it would still be more polite." He grinned triumphantly. Lily was rather angrier than she should have been; she was not willing to be told how to be polite but James Potter. That was ridiculous.

"Fine." She said, though clenched teeth. "How was your summer Potter?"

"That wasn't exactly polite either." He smirked at her.

"Fine." She said again, mustering all her courage to smile at him while using all her self control not to hex him. "How was your summer, _James._" His face lit up completely and she could tell he was not expecting her to use his first name.

"It was okay, but mostly good. Just the beginning sucked. But after that it was good. Quite fun. And then Sirius came to live with me for part of it." He said quickly, like an eager little child, Lily thought. She must have shown her distaste in her face, because the happiness in his own face went out. "You don't care." He said, sighing dramatically.

"You made me ask."

"You said James." She knew that had been a bad idea.

"I was being polite."

"Cause I told you to."

"I do not follow your instructions James Potter!" Lily cried, glaring at him.

"Okay, okay, chill out." He grinned. "You know, I'm still kinda thirsty." He looked sideways at her.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I was thinking about going back to the Three Broomsticks."

"Enjoy yourself."

"Want to come?"

"_What?_"

"So that's a no?"

"Of _course_ that's a no! I am not going out with you Potter!"

"Technically I didn't ask you t. I just asked if you wanted to come to the Three Broomsticks. I didn't even say 'with me' so I really don't see what all the fuss is about."

"You don't see what the fuss is about?" Lily spluttered. "Honestly, sometimes I think you really are about seven years old. You haven't changed a bit since I met you."

"Not true!" He declared, waving his finger at her as if he had an epiphany.

"Give one change. And not age. Give one major change that you have made in yourself."

"I can turn in-" He broke off, looking vaguely horrified with himself.

"You can what?" Lily asked, feeling excited in spite of herself, she knew he had almost given away the big secret.

"I can turn in… later?" He asked, looking at her as if for reassurance.

"What?" She asked, completely lost.

"I can turn in later. You know, stay up later. I used to go to bed so early." He grinned, and again, in spite of herself, Lily burst out laughing.

"That, James, is the most ridiculous thing you have said all day." There was a moment of silence as this small sentence sunk in for both of them. Potter got ludicrously happy looking and Lily felt herself turning redder and redder. How could she have made such a stupid mistake? Then Lily bumped into something and was disoriented for a moment until she realized that something had been Black. She stumbled back, frowning at him. "Watch where you're going!"

"I could say the same to you." He snorted. "But I fear you a little, so I'll say it to James instead." He paused, turning away from her to look at Potter. "Watch where you're going!" Lily took a few minutes to ponder on why Black would be afraid of her and then took in the situation. She and Potter had apparently walked straight into Black and Katy.

"What were you guys doing? You must have been going really slowly." She asked.

"We weren't going at all." Katy giggled. "We were waiting for you because the range of emotions on your two faces were too funny, we wanted to know what the conversation was about so we waited and then Lily said 'James' and you both sort of went into shock and then ran right into us."

"Why didn't you move?" Potter asked, looking at Katy like he feared for her sanity.

"So you didn't go into the street and get run over by passing…" Katy looked around, apparently for something passing by that could have run over Lily and Potter. "…passing things." She didn't seem to have located any potential threats. "So, Sirius, I'm going with Lily because I doubt she's in the mood to hear James explaining how the fact that she said his first name proves she is madly in love with him and secretly wants to marry him. In fact, I'm in the mood for that either, so I will see you later. How about we meet back at the Three Broomsticks for lunch at 1?"

"You know James," Sirius said with mock thoughtfulness. "I bet they're going to talk about us."

"I bet you're right." James echoed his emotions

"I think _we_ should talk about _them_."

"Oh I think we should." James grinned. "I do love some good gossip."

The two of them immediately changed how they were standing so it was clear they were imitating girls and linked arms in the manner Lily and Katy did sometimes and went off down the street talking in loud, high pitched voices about Katy's jacket and what was wrong and right about it.

What exactly happened, with James?" Katy asked as soon as Potter and Black were out of earshot and their stupid girl imitations were two quiet to be heard. Lily would never admit she thought it had been sort of funny.

"What do you mean?"

"You went from looking slightly annoyed, to really happy, to annoyed again, to angry, to completely embarrassed." Katy said and Lily was a bit impressed, if a little concerned, by how closely Katy and Black seemed to have followed her exchange with Potter.

"Well, at first he was being a prat like usual, the happy was just me smiling at him that one time and it was completely fake, I was working hard not to curse him into oblivion. "Then he basically asked me out. Oh!" Lily remembered the most important part of the conversation. "He almost told me what he and Black and Peter are doing."

"What!" Katy yelped. "And you're just telling me now? What is it?"

"Well, I was telling him how he hadn't changed at all, hadn't grown up, and he said he had so I told him to tell me one thing he had changed about himself and then he said 'I can turn in' and cut off, looking horrified. I asked 'You can turn what?' and then he made up some rubbish excuse."

"He can turn in…." Katy said thoughtfully. "Do you have any idea what the next word started with? Like what sound was he starting to form?"

"Sounded like a 't' but I don't know."

"So then it could have been 'into' which makes it 'I can turn into' which changes everything. They're turning into something!"

"Are you sure it isn't that thing McGonagall can do. I hate that I don't know much about it. The turning into animals thing?"

"Animagi?" Katy asked and Lily nodded. "I still doubt it, but I guess we could look into it, maybe read some about it again."

"Well, I think it could be." Lily said firmly. "Let's look at some books about it tomorrow. And see if you can anything about of that boyfriend of yours. Make him useful." She added giggling.

"I'll try my best." Katy replied sarcastically.

_heehee it really was quite fun. gosh i love james and sirius... and i'm rather fond of lily and katy as well. _


	40. Chapter 39

_So I still don't own harry potter and i still want you all to review this story! i want to know what you think! oh and there are lots of notes in this chapter, but i will give fonts this time and not forget! :D_

Chapter 39  
_Katy_

Try as she might, Katy couldn't get anything out of Sirius. He wasn't exactly stupid so he caught on pretty quick whenever she tried to steer the subject toward Remus and possible ways he could be helped. A few times, Katy tried outright asking but that didn't fly either.

Katy had taken to walking with Lily and sometimes Remus when one of them had patrol. The three of them walked together every once in a while, but usually she walked with just one of them.

"Are you really not going to tell me ever?" Katy asked one night while she walking with Remus.

"Eventually." He replied in a mock mysterious voice. Katy giggled.

"When will that be?" She pressed.

"I don't know. I guess it's up to James and Sirius. Peter won't tell until they give it the okay, and I don't think they want anyone to know for a while because they would get in trouble if anyone found out and told." Remus shrugged.

"Well, I think someone else ought to know. What if something went wrong?" Katy asked, but from the look of amusement of Remus' face, she knew that didn't apply.

"Kate, they've succeeded, there's nothing to go wrong anymore." He said, trying to look sweet and concerned and actually looking highly amused.

"Well, I want to know. How about cause I'm worried about you. And I care! Does that get me allowed to know?" She looked hopefully.

"No, sorry." He laughed. "I'm not going to tell you, Katy. Sorry, James or Sirius will have to."

"But they won't!" Katy cried, fed up with all three of the boys and their secrecy. "They won't tell me no matter what I do!"

"What have you done?" Remus said, looking a little alarmed.

"Oh you know, this and that." She grinned, imitating his mysterious voice.

"No, actually, I don't. Do tell."

"You won't tell me what I want to know, so why should I tell you what you want to know."

"Fair point."

"Thank you."

* * *

Katy had convinced Lily to forget about it by the middle of November, Lily was mostly willing to, she was so fed up with James she would gladly give up on anything that brought her near him. He had asked her out three more times since the Hogsmeade visit.

"So Kate," James said, putting his arm around Katy's shoulders and falling into step next to her in the corridor after Transfiguration one day in late November.

"I believe that's my girlfriend, Prongs." Sirius said, coming up to Katy on the other side and putting his arm around her on top of James'. Katy giggled and blushed a bit seeing the stares and points the three of them were getting from other people.

"I got here first." James whined making a big deal of it and causing their audience to laugh.

"I got _her_ first."

"That's actually not true, Padfoot. I was her friend long before we even knew you existed." James said triumphantly.

"Well she likes me better."

"But I've been her friend longer so I mean more to her."

"You do know I'm right here don't you?" Katy interjected, grinning at them both.

"So you are!" James cried. "She can settle it for us." Sirius smiled charmingly down at her.

"You have to pick. Who do you like more. Me or Sirius." Sirius asked. Katy frowned at him and so did James.

"I do believe that was a one-sided question, darling dearest." Katy snorted.

"Ha! She said 'dearest' with an 'est' and that means most! So clearly she likes me better!" Sirius shouted, smirking at James.

"Please tell me you aren't thick enough to not have heard how sarcastic that was." James said, smirking back.

"So who do you pick?" Sirius asked again and Katy felt briefly like a mother whose two children were arguing over her favor. She then glared at both of them because it reminded her of a time when she and Lucie had argued over who their mother liked better. They were both clearly surprised. She grinned to show her apology and they both lightened up. "So…" Sirius prompted.

"Well," Katy decided to go for the cheesy, everybody wins answer. "I like James better as a brother-like friend and Sirius better as a boyfriend." She raised her eyebrows at them. "Happy?"

"That was hardly a real answer." James said.

"As much as I have enjoyed this lovely chat, what is you were coming over to say anyway?" Katy asked him.

"Oh, I wanted to know if Lily has realized she loves me yet."

"Not yet." Katy said sarcastically.

"See!" Sirius exclaimed. "There is another reason you should like me better. I came to talk to you cause I wanted to talk to you. James came to talk to you to talk about Evans."

"Actually, Sirius, I believe you came to talk to me to talk to James to tell him to stop putting his arm around me." Katy grinned angelically up at Sirius who frowned while James burst out laughing.

"You just definitely got beat by Katy on that one, mate." He said through his laughter.

* * *

"I can't decide it I'm looking forward to Christmas." Katy said to Lily one evening in the Gryffindor common room during the second week of December.

"Why not? I love Christmas!" Lily said grinning. "You aren't still stuck on that whole bit about it being depressing are you?"

"Yes, I am." Katy said and then something new occurred to her. "I'll be right back." She flew away from a bemused Lily and rushed over to James, Sirius, Remus and Peter. "Sirius, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Staying here, why?"

"No reason." Katy said, frowning and went back over to Lily. "Oh well, I thought he might come and stay with James. He ditched home this summer, says he's never going back to his house again."

"He what?" Lily asked looking worried.

"Lily, might you be feeling concern for Sirius?"

"No!" Lily said, far too quickly. "Fine, I've decided he is a human being." She grinned. "He's okay."

"Really Lily?" Katy grinned like mad and hugged her best friend. Lily was starting to accept Sirius, she had been hoping for that as long as she had been at Hogwarts. "What about James?" She asked hopefully but Lily just looked at her. "Okay, okay, wishful thinking." She giggled.

That night she went to bed early, but came shooting back down the stairs clutching a large album soon after she went upstairs.

"Look what I found!" She shouted at Lily. "Look!"

"What is it?" Apparently Lily couldn't tell what it was that was being waved back and forth in front of her face very quickly.

"That album Remus made." Katy said excitedly. "We never gave it back I guess." Lily grinned. "Well, let's have a look at it."

Katy opened the album and used the feather quill to tell it there were two people. She and Lily then put in their names and began looking through it.

They looked through it and wrote things about most of the pictures, but when they turned the page from after third year they were surprised to see pictures from fourth year, if Remus hadn't gotten the album back, how had he put in new pictures?

"Remus!" Katy called and Remus came over, followed by the other three boys. "How did you do this?" She held up the album and Remus looked at it, clearly surprised.

"Well, I Charmed my camera so that every picture I took was sent directly to this book. Where did you find it? I haven't seen it in years!"

"Found it in my dorm." Katy said simply.

"Well, let us look too!" James said and Katy flipped back to the first page and after the four boys all got quills and declared themselves to the album, Katy flipped back to the beginning of fourth year.

_(A/N: So the fonts are as follows: Katy, _**James, **Sirius, **_Lily, _**Remus_)_

_You know, I'd kinda forgotten what I looked like with blonde hair…_ Katy wrote under the first picture of her they saw.

A few pages later was a picture from Hogsmeade in fourth year. Sirius and James had managed to knock over an entire display of candy in Honeydukes, and in their rush to pick it up, some Decoy Detonators had gotten out of their Zonko's bags and were wreaking havoc on the candy shop.

_I can't believe I missed that!_

Eh, that was when you and I hated each other, but perhaps a repeat performance is in order!

**No, no, no, no! My ears still hurt when I think of the yelling we got from Mrs. Honeydukes.**

Mrs. Honeydukes?

**Well I don't know their real names.**

You two are hopeless…

There weren't very many pictures from fourth year that had anyone but the boys in them, but that was understandable. There was one from the beginning of fifth year with James, Sirius and Peter waving at the camera at Kings Cross Station, but if you looked in the background you could see Katy sitting there looking thoroughly upset, so they passed over that one quickly. They quickly scanned through them but one in particular caught Katy's attention. It was of her and Sirius and it started out with them hugging and holding hands.

**_While I may not approve of your taste, I have to say this is way cute… Merlin's pants, what are you two doing?!_**

_Remus Lupin when did you take this picture? That is creeeeeeepy!_

…I didn't take that picture. But it must have been on my camera. Wow… this is probably the most awkward thing of my whole life.

_THAN WHO TOOK IT??_

**Moi!**

_James, you are a creep and a half. Why on earth would you follow Sirius and I around and take a picture of that?!_

**You were definitely not doing _that_ when I took it! You were being all cute, like how it was when I started taking it. Do you not remember me taking your picture last year?**

_I do remember it, but I don't remember this!_

**Well I guess you and Sirius are just rather fond of each other in photo form!**

**_Hey somebody should really try to help Black… I think he went into a state of shock. Note the blank face and how he hasn't written anything about this picture._**

I'll do it.

**Merci, beaucoup!**

_Yeah, cause you definitely speak French._

James I am going to kill you!!

I guess it worked.

**_I vote we go to the next picture. This one is far too controversial._**

Everyone wrote really mundane comments on the next few pictures, no one looking at Katy or Sirius who were bright red and not looking at each other.

_(A/N: same fonts as before, but just incase you are rather think, which i am sure you are not dear reader of mine, it is: Katy, _**James,** **_Lily,_** Sirius, Remus. _although this only has James, Katy and Sirius... oh well.)_

Meet me at the beech tree by the lake at 6:30 tonight, okay?

Katy grinned at the note Sirius sent her during Charms.

_You do know it's like minus 200 degrees out there, right?_

We could warm ourselves up by trying the thing from the picture…

_SIRIUS_!

Kidding!

**Hahahahahahahahaahaha like you could!**

_James how the bloody hell did you get this?_

**You weren't exactly sneaky about this whole note passing thing. I think Flitwick noticed as he is coming over so I'd hide it if I were you. Otherwise he will take it.**

Katy quickly stuffed the note into her bag and looked up but Professor Flitwick was up at the front of the room explaining something or other.

_That wasn't funny, James._

Sorry, Kate, but it was. The look on your face… priceless!

_Well it's nice to know my boyfriend is always there to take my side…_

**Ew, what kind of boyfriend would do that?**

A wimpy one. What's life without a few good arguments?

_Peaceful._

Boring.

**Très boring.**

_You still think you're French?_

**I am so French! My mother's father's mother's aunt's cousin's mother was born in Paris!**

What a connection! I'm sure the entire country would welcome you warmly home if you went round sharing that.

**Why are my friends ganging up on me? I thought you loved me…**

_Mwahahahaha_

**Katy? Don't do that again please. Ever.**

It **was** vaguely creepy…

_I guess my friends are ganging up against me too. We're in the same boat James. We just have to tough it out together!_

**We'll form a "Sirius Black ganged up on me" club.**

_And we'll have T-Shirts!_

**And secret handshakes!**

_And passwords!_

**And a tree house. The tree house is the most important.**

_It so is. I still miss our old one…_

**I know! I can't believe your sister would use underage magic in such a destructive way.**

_Looking at her you would think she was such a sweet girl._

First of all, you two are INSANE. And second of all, your sister destroyed a tree house? How old was she?

_Six and yes she did._

**Ka-put! Boom! Gone, all gone. Tree house no more. It was epic, Padfoot, truly epic.**

_Remember the funeral we had for it?_

**How could I forget? You kept trying to convince your mum to bury the wood.**

_I still think she should have. It's improper to not dispose of the remains._

**Technically they were disposed of…**

_Building a new kitchen table out of them was not what I meant!!_

Your parents built your kitchen table out of the remains of your tree house? Harsh…

_No! JAMES' parents built their kitchen table out of the remains of our tree house. And yes it was harsh._

**Hey, I refused to eat at it for months!**

_And you were right to do so! We had to protest!_

**I think you took it a bit far though…**

What did you do Kate?

_Well, I might have possibly decided that maybe it would be best to refuse to go into the house or speak to Mr. or Mrs. Potter for about three months afterwards._

Remind me never to get on your bad side…

**Don't get on Katy's bad side.**

Thanks Prongs, that's exactly what I meant…

"Katy!" Lily hissed. "Will you pay attention ever?" Katy grinned at her.

"What, it's not like we're doing anything important." She said sheepishly.

"Yes we are! Flitwick said this was a very important concept to understand."

"Then you will explain it to me later. Besides, our tests this year barely count." Katy said, waving off Lily's exasperation with her hand.

* * *

Katy went home for Christmas and was surprised that it went okay. It was as depressing as the previous year and it seemed to go quicker. However, she was still thrilled to be back at Hogwarts for the start of the second term.

"Katy! Monumental news!" Lily said, but she seemed to be half joking.

"What? Katy asked, not sure how much to believe her.

"I've decided I like Black enough I would call him an almost friend and just may refer to him as Sirius sooner or later if I get my stomach around that idea."

"Lily!" Katy shrieked. "Lily that's so cool! I knew you'd see. Still not hot on James, though?"

"Katy, will you ever give it up? I am not going to be with him."

"I am not trying to set you up with him. I am just hoping you will become friends with him." Just at that moment Sirius himself came over.

"Hello Black! I mean, good morning Sirius, yes, Si- no! Black, no wait, I… but… I thought… bye!" Lily spluttered and hurried off.

"Okay, that was weird." Sirius looked at Katy for an explanation. "Why do I feel like missed something?"

"Lily said she likes you enough that you are almost one of her friends and she is going to try to call you Sirius sometimes, but obviously she isn't used to it." Katy giggled. "I think it's funny." She paused then added, "And I love that she likes you now!" She kissed him and the two of them hurried into the Great Hall for breakfast.

"What about James?" Sirius asked as they walked slowly to Transfiguration after breakfast.

"Yeah, not so much."

"So she likes me better?"

"You are really immature sometimes."

"But does she like me better?"

"Yes, I would say she does."

"Why?" Sirius sounded truly curious.

"Well, probably because you don't ask her out every day of your life." Katy answered grinning at him.

Yes, well I can think of someone else who might be slightly upset if I spent all my free time asking out Lily Evans."

"Well aren't you a genius."

"Mr. Black and Miss Cupit," said a severe voice and Katy looked up to see a less than pleased Professor McGonagall. "If you two are quite done, would you care to join us in class?" Katy turned red and followed McGonagall into the classroom looking at the floor. As they entered most of the people in the class were laughing and whispering but as soon as McGonagall got to the front, the chatter went out like a match.

"What exactly were you two doing?" James asked, leaning over so he could be quiet and grinning mischievously.

"Not that." Katy scowled at him but he just raised his eyebrows.

"Now what?" He asked sweetly.

"Oh ha ha. Don't try to make it seem like you weren't thinking it."

"Weren't thinking what?"

"For your information we were talking about how Lily doesn't like you." That shut James up. James immediately leaned over to Sirius and the two of them began a whispered conversation Katy couldn't hear. She was surprised they knew how to be that quiet, unfortunately, they weren't very sneaky and McGonagall looked up and saw them talking to each other.

"Mr. Black, were you not late to class already?" She said, startling them both.

"Why, yes I think I must have been, Professor." Sirius beamed at her. She frowned back.

"So am I to understand that after you were late to begin with you decided to not pay attention at all?"

"Well isn't the beginning of class the most important?"

"I don't see how this helps your argument, Mr. Black. You missed the beginning of class."

"Well, see, Prongs here was just telling me what I missed."

"Prongs?"

"Mr. Potter."

"And what did happen in the beginning of class, Mr. Black?"

"You explained what we are going to be doing."

"Can you give me anything more specific?"

"Not really, no."

"Then I will have to give yourself and Mr. Potter detention. Tonight, in my office, 8:00."

"I look forward to it."

"I'm sure you do, Mr. Black, I'm sure you do."

* * *

One evening in the first week of February, Sirius and Katy walked into the common room to see the no longer unusual sight of Lily screaming her lungs out at James.

"James Potter you are the most arrogant git I have laid eyes on! Will you ever take no for an answer?"

"Come on, Evans, one date."

"Piss off Potter!"

"Lily?" Katy cut in, hoping to avoid getting James sent to the Hospital Wing. "Let's go upstairs."

"No!" Lily said fiercely and sat down on one of the couches, staring stiffly ahead of her.

"Way to go James." Sirius said grinning. "Looks like you've really got a good technique worked out." James just shrugged and went over to the other side of the common room.

"Lil?" Katy asked, looking at her friend's emotionless face. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Lily snapped.

"Okay…"

Lily remained rigid and impassive all evening. Katy eventually gave up trying to make contact with her and started working on a particularly nasty Transfiguration essay with Mary and Aimy.

_i've decided i love notes. they're fun to write. now tell me what YOU love. really, i'm practically begging on my knees. i would be, but i'm laying in bed and i don't feel like getting up._

_ Lily_


	41. Chapter 40

_this is a super fun bit! woopee! haha_

Chapter 40  
_Lily_

Lily was pleased it was getting warmer. It was early March and they had a Hogsmeade visit. The weather had warmed up so most of the snow was gone, but they still to be bundled up, something that greatly annoyed Lily.

Lily opened the door to the Three Broomsticks and was surprised by how full it was.

"Let's go somewhere else for now." Aimy suggested.

"Good idea." Lily said, turning around and glaring at the stupidly grinning face in front of her. "What are you doing here Potter?"

"Well, Evans, my parents signed my permission slip during the summer before third year and so I come here on Hogsmeade weekends. What about you?" He asked as it was pleasant conversation. Lily inhaled sharply but decided against starting a fight so early in the day.

"Where are you lot going?" Black asked.

"We don't really know." Katy grinned at him and Lily starting glaring but remembered her promise to herself to give him another chance and forced herself to smile. "Three Broomsticks is absurdly crowded."

"Well, it's just going to get worse. Let's go inside and try to get a table." Remus said, reopening to door. They were lucky because just as Remus opened the door, a large group of people came out and the eight of them hurried to get their table.

"Alright, what does everyone want?" Katy asked, standing up from her seat. Lily wondered how it was Katy always ended up being the one to get the drinks, but she always did. "Butterbeer?" They all nodded and dug in their pockets for money. Much to Lily's relief it was Potter who offered to go with her and help her carry back the drinks. It was however, a little awkward after they left because Katy had always been the balancing point on the scale of the two groups of friends. She had always been the interpreter of sorts, the peacekeeper.

"Anyone have any idea how to do the essay for Slughorn?" Mary asked after a brief, but heavy, silence.

"You already did it, Mary…" Aimy said, looking oddly at Mary who blushed.

"Way to shoot down any conversation, Aimy." Mary said and it was Aimy's turn to blush.

"So…" began Sirius, but he didn't seem to have any ideas on what to say and looked round the Three Broomsticks for inspiration. Unfortunately, Snape chose just that moment to come in with some friends. Lily went stiff and stared determinedly away from him. "Been getting any trouble with Snivellus?" Sirius tried a brave attempt to rekindle the conversation.

"No. He's only tried to come near me twice; I guess he's getting discouraged." Lily was so fed up with the lack of conversation she decided to humor Black.

"Makes sense. I'm glad he's leaving you alone." Sirius paused, and looked at her as if he was a bit scared of the reaction to what he was about to say, but apprehensively added, "I know you don't like me very much, but if he's giving you a hard time, tell me okay?"

"Wow, Sirius, did you just offer to do something for someone else?" Remus said in mock disbelief.

"Thank you Moony, you're such a good mate."

"I do agree with you there, Padfoot!" Remus said laughing and Black snorted.

"Well, Black – Sirius, even if I don't tell you, you'd hear about it anyway, cause I would definitely tell Katy."

"True, true, but I mean it. He's a git."

"Well, thanks." Lily said quietly and leaned back in her chair thinking that was one of the weirdest conversations she had ever had with Sirius and he was the sort of person who one could have a _very_weird conversation with.

"You guys must really need us, huh?" Potter said, laughing as he and Katy returned, looking at the silent table they had left.

"Can't even keep up a conversation without us, what is the world coming to?" Katy said in mock horror as she set four Butterbeers on the table which were quickly grabbed. "Sorry it took so long, there was quite a line."

"So, Lily," Potter began but Lily cut him off.

"I'm not going out with you Potter."

"Alright then…" He said, frowning at her and she had the idea he hadn't been about to ask her that. She immediately blushed and looked down at her drink.

There was another long, and again rather awkward, pause. Lily glanced up and saw Potter and Katy were having a silent conversation type thing. They seemed to be arguing, but they weren't talking.

"Okay, this is boring." Katy announced. "Race you to the Shrieking Shack!" She grinned mischievously at Remus.

"Home field advantage!" He smirked and jumped up from his chair and the two of them took off running out of the Three Broomsticks.

"I think Katy infects people with her weirdness." Mary said staring out the door looking sort of alarmed. "I mean, if it had been pretty much anyone else, Remus would never have agreed."

"Why don't we join them?" Sirius asked and everybody else nodded and took the final sips of their Butterbeers and walked out of the Three Broomsticks and up the street to the Shrieking Shack.

* * *

They turned the last corner and saw the Shrieking Shack for only seconds before Potter got hit in the face with something and fell over in surprise. Lily burst out laughing only to be hit in the stomach herself. Soon they were being pelted with snowballs and when there was a break in the constant fire Lily noticed a clearly magical snow fort from behind which Katy and Remus were staging their attack.

"I'm gonna get you so bad for that Moony!" James roared and began scooping up snow.

"I'm the one who hit you!" Katy shouted, laughing her head off.

"Then I'll just have to get you instead!" James yelled back and pulled out his wand, enchanting the snowball to follow Katy until it had a chance to hit her full in the face. Lily thought that was a bit cruel but it was still sort of funny. A cease-fire was called as teams were created, Katy and Remus both refused to leave the team that got their magical barrier and it ended up being Katy, Remus, Lily and Sirius versus James, Peter, Mary and Aimy. Sirius hit Peter in the stomach to mark the beginning of the game.

It slowly turned into a full-fledged war, Remus and Lily being the brains behind their team with Katy and Sirius following their orders. At one point they stopped throwing snowballs and retreated behind their fort to create a whole heap of ammunition.

"Why are we wasting this time?" Sirius asked all of a sudden. He pulled out his wand and began Duplicating the snowballs they already had. Once they had enough, all four of them went screaming out of the fort pelting snowballs at the enemy. Lily heard a scream and saw Potter grabbing Katy by the waste and pulling her over onto their side of the playing field. He used his wand to keep her where she was, but she was working on breaking free of the spell.

"Nobody said we could take hostages!" Sirius yelled.

"Well I just did!" Potter shouted back.

Katy had broken free of the spell Potter had restrained her with but he noticed and after a very amusing battle, he must have won out of brute strength, but there was lots of snow flying so no one could see what was going on. However, it ended with Katy tied to a tree, her wand in James' back pocket.

"Now you'll have to come save her yourself."

"No don't!" She yelled. "_Accio _wand! _Accio _wand!"

"That won't work Katy." Aimy said grinning as she hurled a snowball at Lily who had been creeping toward where Katy was tied. Lily had a new idea from what Katy had tried.

"_Accio_ James', Katy's, Mary's, Aimy's and Peter's wands!" Five wands went shooting toward her and she smiled broadly.

"No fair!" Mary roared.

"You took Katy's." Lily pointed out.

"She was our prisoner!" James protested. "We have a right to!"

After a pause in the epic snowball fight, it was decided Summoning the other teams' wands was not allowed and Lily had to give back the wands. There were some major arguments about Katy's wand but it ended up back in James' pocket.

Lily went back to her side, where there was an enormous heap of snowballs waiting to be used. Then she realized the pile wasn't quite as large as it seemed because they were floating off the ground.

"What exactly did you do to them?" She asked Black warily as he came rushing behind the fort to restock.

"Just a spell so that they don't hit the ground till they hit the enemy." He grinned. "Now I'm off to rescue our damsel in distress!" Lily snorted; Katy was anything but a damsel in distress. Lily grabbed an armload of snowballs and followed Sirius out into No Man's Land.

Black had Disillusioned himself and he was quietly stalking his way over to the tree. However, when he got within ten feet of it, he was suddenly not Disillusioned and his wand flew out of his hand and headed for Potter. Potter however was not paying attention and the wand just sort of hit him. He brushed it off and kept throwing snowballs at Remus. Lily was working hard to keep up a continuous fire of snowballs and watch Sirius and Katy at the same time, but she was. She suddenly decided four against three, and really two as Sirius wasn't part of the fight just then, was unfair. She started throwing her snowballs shorter distances although she wasn't really sure why. At first Mary just laughed at her for her lack of arm strength but then began taunting her by coming closer and closer. Eventually she was close enough that Lily threw one as hard as she could and it hit Mary in the stomach, knocking her over. Lily rushed forward and grabbed hold of Mary, conjured some ropes, took Mary's wand and tied Mary to a tree near their fort. She grinned, now they were on equal playing fields.

"James, get more ammunition, they've got about 500 pounds of snowballs back here!" Mary yelled. Lily decided that wouldn't do and quickly Silenced Mary with an apologetic grin. Lily looked up and was surprised to see Katy rushing back up towards her. She looked around for Black but he seemed to have switched places with her. Sirius was now tied to the tree, with James looking triumphantly at him, then noticing his own kidnapped warrior and his triumph turned to a glare at Lily, she thought it was probably the first time he had ever glared at her, and began fighting again with new vigor.

By the end of the fight, Lily had been captured, released, captured, released, Silenced, and badly hit by snowballs. Most of the other people had fared similarly, but Katy had taken the brunt of the fight. She had been Silenced, Shrunk, Restored, Full-Body Bind-ed, Re-colored (but mostly as a distraction), Tied to the tree with an Invisibility Cloak thrown over her, Shrunk again, Restored again and once she was even Stunned. It was mostly Potter who had done all this to her, but the Full-Body bind had been Mary when Katy had gone to free Sirius for the third time. Katy and Sirius had spent most of the fight going back and forth from being prisoner and rescuer.

"Where did that cloak come from, Katy?" Lily panted as the eight of them went laughing up High Street back into the Three Broomsticks.

"It's James'." Katy said lightly. She used to not want to tell Lily, but at this point Lily would have figured it out.

"That's why they seem to disappear all the time."

"Yup." Katy grinned, her cheeks bright red from being in the snow.

They spent the rest of the day in the Three Broomsticks and it was much pleasanter than in the morning. They were all recounting their tales of what had been done to them and what they had done to each other and were among the last students to go back to the castle.

_I had a snowball fight like that with some friends this winter... i was basically the katy of it, just without the magical stuff, but i did tied to a tree more than once... hahaha it was so much fun! okay i know that sounds weird... but it really was._


	42. Chapter 41

_hello dears. i must say i am disappointed. i expected reviews from you people and i was not satisfied with just one! sniffs anywho... the end of the next chapter ends with a cliffhanger and i will not be updating until i get more reviews. i will not be adding that chapter for a few days i think. although knowing me i will probably add it as soon as i am done with this chapter._

_so there are some notes in this chapter, and the handwriting is as follows: Katy, _**Lily, **James

Chapter 41  
_Katy_

_I think we should take our dinner outside tonight._

Katy slipped her note to Lily during Potions. She frowned at her but opened it anyway.

**Why?**

_Cause it's actually warm now! We could have a picnic!_

**You're really quite a little kid sometimes, the last time I asked to go on a picnic I was eight. Not that I'm opposed to it or anything, sounds fun!**

_Delightful. Who else should come?_

**Mary and Aimy and no one else. Please, please, please not the boys!**

_Sure_.

**So we have a plan, now pay attention to Professor Slughorn!**

Katy sighed; it was just like Lily to use a note to enforce rules. She was just picking up her quill to begin taking notes when a new paper slid across her desk.

Pass to Lily! James had written on a second piece of paper. Katy sighed and grinned at James.

_Only if I can read the note._

Fine.

Katy unfolded the note, although it was a bit baffling, James must have spent at least five minutes folding the paper just so. She groaned when she read the note.

Go out with me Evans?

Decided to leave well enough alone, Katy slipped the note to Lily with an apologetic sigh. Although Lily made no sound, her anger was clear. She was practically shaking as she fiercely scribbled an answer. She shoved it back at Katy's desk, red in the face.

**No! No! No! No! NO! How many times do I have to say no? James Potter you are a ridiculous, arrogant creep! I hate you and I always will. Now leave me alone!!**

Katy sighed again; this would not be well received by James. She gave the note to him with a you-asked-for-it sort of look.

* * *

April turned into May and the weather turned delightful. Two weeks into May, James came up to Katy in the corridors after class one day looking thoroughly amused. He was sporting a bright red mark on his cheek.

"What happened to you?"

"Your charming friend slapped me."

"You asked her out again, right?"

"Is it that obvious? And how did you know I meant Evans?"

"Please, James you're rather pathetic. I bet you couldn't go a week without asking her out."

"I didn't ask her out once last week!" He said triumphantly.

"You were in the Hospital Wing all week with a concussion from a Quidditch match." Katy pointed out.

"But I still didn't ask her out!"

"Alright fine, then I bet you couldn't go the rest of the school year without asking Lily out!"

"I bet you couldn't go the rest of the school year without snogging your dear boyfriend."

"That's irrelevant. We're already together."

"So you don't think you could do it?" His eyes glinted madly as he smirked at her.

"Is that a challenge?" She asked, grinning at him.

"Why yes I think it is." He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him as if for a whispered conspiracy. "I won't ask Evans out and you won't kiss Sirius."

"And what happens if we break it?" She giggled.

"We get to choose the appropriate punishment if the moment arises." He raised his eyebrows. "So if I ask out Evans, you choose what happens. And if you kiss Sirius, and trust me I will be enlisting spies so I will know, then I choose what you have to do." He smirked at her. "Merlin, I hope you blow this."

"Well, I won't! You so know you will. So no asking her to Hogsmeade, no asking her to be your study date, no asking her to 'do something' with you or help you with your homework when everyone knows you don't need it."

"Hey! The only part of the deal was that I couldn't ask her to go out with me. As is I cannot ask her to be my girlfriend. Anything else is okay."

"Fine, but by your own reasoning, Sirius can kiss me then, I just can't kiss him back?" She asked and he glared at her. "It's all or nothing, baby." She burst out laughing.

"Well played, fine, all. No nothing for either of us." He smirked a little at her slightly disappointed face. And dragged her into the common room.

"James what are you doing?" She hissed when he shouted around a lot and got everyone's attention.

"Just helping us both keep to the rules. Alright everyone, Katy and I have entered a little bet." The interest in the room rose palpably. "I am not going to ask out Evans and she is not allowed to kiss Sirius for the rest of the school year."

"What?" Sirius shouted, pushing his way forward. "Why would you agree to that?" There were large amounts of tittering at this comment.

"Cause James is going to lose in a few days, no big deal. And it ends when one of us screws up. Besides," she added, lowering her voice so only Sirius and James could hear her, although she was mostly joking. "It's only kissing we can't do, anything else…" Sirius grinned at her and laughed while James got very clearly uncomfortable. Katy smirked at him and he and Sirius both knew exactly what she had been trying to do with that particular comment, but it had still unhinged James a bit.

"Katy, as glad as I will be for some peace, you didn't have to do that." Lily said, making her way to the front of the crowd that was watching the scene with amusement.

"This isn't for you darling." Katy crooned jokingly. "It's for James. And everyone else. We could all use some peace and quiet. You two always going at each other gets tiring."

"Hey! I do not 'go at' Evans!" James yelled, angry.

"Sorry, sorry, him asking you out and you going at him gets tiring." Katy corrected herself and James looked mollified.

"So basically," James said, loudly again, addressing the entire common room. "If any of you see Katy and Sirius getting it on, please let me know."

"Hey!" Katy yelled. "And if James asks Lily out."

"You'll know if I ask her out. Your best friend is Lily and I think she wants you to win."

"True." Katy grinned. "Then let the games begin!" She held out her hand and James shook it firmly.

"Wait," James said when Katy started to leave. "We have to work out exactly what it all means."

"I thought we already did… I am not allowed to kiss Sirius and you can't ask out Lily."

"Yes, but we have to make sure we define a kiss and asking out in the same way or it isn't fair."

"Okay, a kiss is lip-lip contact and asking out is asking her on a date or asking her to be your girlfriend."

"No, not fair. A kiss is lip-whatever contact. No cheek kissing allowed." He said, smirking at Katy. Katy had had a pretty good idea her lip-lip thing wouldn't fly but it was worth a shot.

"Alright fine, my lips can't touch him, unless by accident and same for him?"

"Yes, but please enlighten me as to how you could accidently touch him with your lips?"

"Well, if I fell or something and landed on him. I don't know, but I won't lose so you don't have to worry."

"If you say so," he smirked again and grinned evilly at her and she had a bad feeling he knew something she didn't. He started to leave but turned back just in front of the portrait hole. "Have a lovely seventeenth birthday." He laughed and went through the portrait hole. Katy sat down, how could she have forgotten? Her seventeenth birthday was in a week and half! She wouldn't be allowed to kiss her boyfriend on the most important birthday in the wizarding world?

"Well done Katy." She muttered to herself. "Sorry…" She offered quietly to Sirius who was frowning at her, but he wasn't really upset.

"No big deal, we'll just have to work to get him to ask her out." He grinned. "Miss Lily, might you be persuaded to help us?" He grinned at her and Katy was really worried about what he had in mind, but also very much anticipating hearing it.

"Help you?" Lily asked, stepping back a bit. "How?"

"Get James to ask you out." Sirius said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Make him think you'd say yes if he did." Lily's jaw dropped and she stared blankly at Sirius.

"If you think I am going to flirt shamelessly with him, you are sadly mistaken." She said after first looking around to make sure that the crowd had dispersed.

"Come on, Lily, nothing will come of it. Just get him to think you're madly in love with him so he will ask you out."

"Sirius!" Lily said, frowning. "I am not that low."

"No, but we are." Katy said, laughing at Lily's face. "Please, please, please?"

"Maybe." Lily looked royally unsure of herself which was unusual.

* * *

Katy spent the rest of the week convincing Lily to help, but finally got her to agree. They knew James would suspect, and so decided to go downstairs separately. Katy had no idea what Lily was going to do, or if she was going to do anything at all.

Katy was sitting on a couch, pretty much sitting on top of Sirius, in the common room. It was Saturday so they didn't have classes to worry about. She hadn't really realized how much she and Sirius had kissed each other until they couldn't. But now that she thought about it, they kissed each other every morning, pretty much in the corridor between pretty much every class, they usually hung out after classes were over and that usually involved a bit of kissing and they kissed goodnight every night.

Sirius's arms were around Katy with his hand resting in the small of her back, sending shivers up her spine. It had just moved a little lower when James came in and frowned at them.

"Hey! Stop molesting my Katy!" He said, grabbing Sirius' arm and pulling it away from Katy.

"I believe she is actually _my_ Katy." He smirked at put his hand back where it was.

"You know, it's less… um, nice… when you're just doing that to show someone you can." Katy said, giggling. Sirius moved his hand quickly and leaned forward to kiss her. "Nope." She leaned back. "Another month of hell." He groaned and James laughed at them but immediately stopped, dumbfounded by something behind them.

"Hi James." Said Lily's voice although when Katy turned around she didn't possibly believe she was looking at Lily. Lily had curled her hair and pinned it up so that a few little curls were left cascading around her neck. She had on a skirt that Katy recognized as her own. It was a present from her cousin Alex, who was a bit loose, and it was far too short to be worn in civilized society. Lily was also wearing a shirt Katy recognized as one that belonged to her. It was one of her lower cut shirts, and showed enough that Katy didn't wear it unless she had nothing else clean.

"Evans?" James spluttered, rubbing his eyes, not believing what he was seeing.

"Lily." Lily corrected him in a very shady sounding voice.

"Lily." he said, and grinned stupidly at her. Then he looked down and saw that he was just wearing his pajamas. "I'll be right back!" He turned and fled up the stairs to the boys dorms and so did Lily. He got back first, dressed in what he considered to be his nicest outfit. Katy grinned; she had forced him to buy the shirt. "Where did Lily go?" he asked.

Just at that moment, Lily returned, but she looked nothing like how she had before. Her hair was properly disheveled for someone who had just woken up and she had on pajamas and slippers.

"Why did you change back into your pajamas?" James asked, clearly confused.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked and she sounded genuinely tired. "I just woke up about a minute ago."

"No you didn't! You were down here. And you called me James. And you told me to call you Lily. And you were wearing…" he trailed off, highly embarrassed.

"Are you feeling alright, Potter?" She asked, frowning at him. "I told you, I just woke up."

"No you… but wait… I… Sirius, you back me up. She came down here and she looked like…" he stopped again, turning red.

"I don't know what you're talking about, mate." Katy grinned at how quickly Sirius caught on. "She just came down here and she doesn't look that extraordinary to me… no offense or anything." He added quickly to Lily.

"None taken." She said without missing a beat.

"Oh I get it." James glared at Lily, Sirius and Katy. "You're trying to get me to ask her out." He smirked. "Well it won't work."

"James, you ought to know Lily well enough to know she wouldn't cheat. Besides, once the bet is over, you are free to ask her out as much as you want, so what does she gain from helping it end faster?" Katy asked and was pleased to see she had made an impression on James, who left the common room looking thoroughly disoriented.

"That was brilliant!" Sirius shouted as soon as James was gone. "But why pretend it didn't happen?"

"To get him all confused and flustered for when I stop pretending it didn't happen." Lily replied matter-of factly.

"Lily I just adore you more and more with everything I learn about you. Who would have thought you were one for messing with someone's head."

"When it's Potter, anytime." Lily giggled and turned back toward the stairway to the girls dorms. "Now I need to get dressed."

"Your friend is an evil genius." Sirius said to Katy after Lily was gone. "She looks so sweet and innocent. I'm so proud!" He grinned like mad. "So, shall we get breakfast?" Katy nodded and Sirius looped his arm around her waist, pulling her to the Great Hall next to him.

"Here, kiss this!" Sirius said, grinning at Katy and pulling a parchment out of his bag. He held it up in front of himself and Katy knew what he meant and thought it was hysterical.

"That is the worst idea I have ever heard of!" She laughed. "But I love it!" She was just leaning forward when she heard someone say,

"You just can't keep off each other, can you?" Lily had joined them at breakfast, James still eyeing her in a confused way. She grinned at Katy and Sirius when James looked the other way. "Honestly, that is a pathetic attempt at a kiss."

* * *

"Mr. Black, Miss Cupit, please refrain from doing that in my class."

"I thought it wouldn't be necessary to state the one person to a chair rule, but apparently I have to."

"No you may not switch partners."

"Mr. Black, please return to your table."

"Miss Cupit, if you get out of your seat one more time it will be detention."

Katy and Sirius were subjected to comments like that from teachers all day on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday most of the teachers were just ignoring them or determinedly not looking at them. Katy's birthday was on Sunday and she was getting more and more restless. She had honestly expected James to crack before then. She thought he was going to ask Lily out practically the day after they made the bet.

_So if you lot will oblidge me this time and actually review this story, i want to know what you thinkk about the bet and what you think james and katy should make the other one do/say/tell if they lose. i have ideas, indeed some of the ideas they have will be voiced in the next chapter, but i want to know what you think._

_Please please please review!_

_Lily_

_p.s. for all my fellow lily/james shippers, you can't wait for the next chapter although not because they start dating in it. that will happen in a little while. but still, i think it's cute, if a little awkward... :D_


	43. Chapter 42

_So this chapter starts out from Lily's POV but goes to katy's not too far in. it switches back and forth a lot in thsi chapter. i would just make separate chapters but then some would be would be like two paragraphs long. just go with me. also, i WILL tell you when it switches, but it starts with lily._

_and hey, it's been like an hour since i put up the last chapter, so i get some credit... haha or not. anyway... in this first scene here, i really really hope james' doesn't come off as a creep. i tried to make him sound as sincere as i could because he is sincere, but it's possible he might sound a bit... i don't know. hehe i LOVED writing this bit. man oh boy i have been waiting for a long time for this scene!_

42  
_Lily_

Lily was getting a bit worried. She hadn't thought Potter was going to be able to make it as long as he had. It had been over a week since he and Katy had made that stupid bet and try as she might, Lily hadn't gotten him to ask her out yet. She had pretty much admitted to herself that she would have to actually pretend she was on love with him and not that he had been imagining it. She decided not to make it overboard, make it seem like it was really her, and perfectly sane too, just having had a change of heart. She put on a nice outfit, that was all her own clothes, but a bit more showy that she usually wore. She hurried into the common room and ascertained that Potter wasn't there.

"Where's Potter?" She asked Sirius who was busy cuddling with Katy on the couch by the fire.

"Upstairs, but he's…" Lily didn't stay to pay attention to anymore than "upstairs." She just took off up the stairs to the boys dorms wanting to get it over with as fast as she could.

"James?" She asked pushing open the door to the boys dormitory, realizing how weird the name sounded on her tongue. She went in and had to use all her self control not to run out as fast as she could. She now assumed that Sirius had been planning on saying "he's taking a shower" or something to that affect, because all he was wearing was a pair of jeans. Lily felt her stomach constrict when she saw him and inhaled sharply. He obviously heard her and turned around, going a bit pink in the face when he saw who she was.

"Lily." he grinned at her. "Or can I not call you that?"

"No, you can." She smiled at him even though most of the muscles in her face were screaming at her to glare. "You can always call me Lily." She crossed to room and sat down on the bed nearest him. "Is this one yours?" She asked and he nodded dumbly. "Good." She sighed and smiled up at him. He seemed to take that as affirmation she wasn't about to turn on him. He went and, much to Lily's displeasure, shut the door to the dorm.

"I really don't want you disappearing and saying you weren't here." Lily was surprised to note the actual feeling in his voice. He sounded truly upset about what she had been doing to him.

"So, how are you?" She began, in an unnaturally high voice.

"I'm okay," He sat next to her; she had a mini battle inside herself but managed not to tense up. "What about you?"

"Oh you know," She said vaguely. "I'm pretty good."

"What about right now?" He asked, looking intently at her. Apparently he really wanted to know. Lily had no idea why, but she was starting to feel a little guilty. She had never really gotten the idea Potter was very sincere in how he felt about her.

"Right now?" She forced away the guilt. She could deal with it later. "Perfect." She blushed and looked down although Potter took that blush to mean a completely different thing than it did.

"Really?" He asked and Lily could just tell he was smiling even though she wasn't looking at him. "Me too."

"Y… you are?" She faltered. She had sort of been counting on the fact that he didn't really like her, just liked how she looked. But this new Potter, who actually had emotions, was not something she was sure she could deal with.

"Yes. Honestly, Lily you must know that."

"Oh, yes, I suppose I do." Lily felt a new blush creeping up her cheeks. Potter stood up and Lily dearly wished he would put on a shirt. She briefly thought to herself that she didn't really mind and then reprimanded herself for thinking something remotely close to that he was attractive. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up so she was facing him. When the blush in her cheeks rose, she looked at the floor.

"Lily, do you like me at all?" he asked carefully. "Even just as a friend?" She didn't answer and he pulled her chin so she was looking directly at him. She hated that she was starting to get teary because she really didn't know why.

"I, oh…. James…" She said and tears were coming down her face. She felt incredibly guilty at this point and didn't know why. Wasn't it fair to play a prank on Potter? He was always playing pranks on everyone else. She wiped her face and forced herself to stop almost crying. James was still holding onto her upper arms and looking down at her, and he seemed actually concerned about her. She didn't remember turning, but she suddenly realized she was leaning against the wall. He was smiling at her and suddenly she knew what was about to happen. She panicked, having no idea what to do. She really didn't want to kiss James Potter, but she had pretty much just told him she liked him and she had been flirting with him for a week. That was weird for her to think about, that she had spent a week flirting with Potter, but it was true.

"I may not be allowed to ask you out, but Katy's the only one who can't kiss." James whispered and leaned down and kissed Lily. She felt like her brain was paralyzed. If she rejected it, he would know what she had been trying to do and the whole plan would be lost. If she kissed him back, she would just about die from guilt, but he might ask her out. She realized while she had been weighing the two options she had been kissing him back and much to her surprise, she didn't stop.

_

* * *

_

so now it's from katy's POV!

"Katy, we need to go up there." Sirius was pacing back and forth in front of Katy. "James was probably naked when Lily got in there!"

"No way, or she would be back down here." Katy sighed. "But, yes, I do want to go see what is happening." Sirius grinned and grabbed her hand. Katy was trying to come up with what she might see when she got in the room. She suspected it would be Lily sort of hiding as James tried to get to her while still attempting to flirt and make it seem real. At first, when Sirius quietly and carefully opened the door, Katy didn't see anyone. Then Sirius tugged on her shirt and pointed mutely to a spot right next to the bathroom door. James and Lily were standing there pretty much making out. Katy would have guessed there were no tongues involved, but it looked pretty serious other than that.

Neither one of them had noticed Katy and Sirius come in the room and it took Katy a few minutes to realize James didn't have a shirt on. One of Lily's hands was touching James' bare back and with jaw dropping surprise, Katy realized Lily's other hand was pressed into his chest. Katy looked at Sirius who was plainly as confused as she was.

"Is she really on our side?" He whispered, pulling Katy into the hallway, but leaving the door open so they would know if the situation changed.

"I think so…" Katy had no idea. She would have been a bit angry if Lily _was_ secretly in love with James and hadn't told her, but she hadn't expected Lily to carry it this far. Just as she was about to open her mouth to talk again, Remus came running up the stairs into the open dormitory. There was a loud exclamation of surprise and a few bangs and thumps followed by James shouting "Bloody hell, Moony. Don't you knock?"

"The door was open!" Katy said, coming in the room, much to the surprise of its two original occupants. "Sirius and I came in and… saw you two… and so we left, but we didn't shut the door. Sorry, don't blame Remus." Katy glanced at Lily who was beet red and looking at her feet.

"You… you what?" James asked, opened-mouthed to Katy.

"Saw you and Lily… kissing." Katy whispered. "So does this mean I win?" She grinned.

"Nope, I didn't ask her out, did I Lily?" He said triumphantly to Katy and then turned, smiling genuinely at Lily who shook her head, still with a face as red as her hair. Katy was shocked. Lily had allowed that amount of kissing without even having gotten what she came for? Katy was beginning to suspect ulterior motives on Lily's part. She quickly realized she was standing there probably doing a pretty keen imitation of a fish and that wouldn't be at all believable and so decided to act the part of the best friend.

"Lily! You never told me you liked James! That is so cute! Oh Merlin, I hoped you two would get together!" She gushed and Lily looked incredibly alarmed. "You have to tell me everything!" She grabbed Lily's arm and Lily finally understood. Katy giggled and pulled Lily out of the room, shutting the door behind her, but not going down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked, frowning at her.

"I'll talk to you later, my friend. You are definitely not off the hook and I must be enlightened about what happened in there, although perhaps not for the implied reason." She giggled. "But I want to know what they are saying." She put her ear to the closed door.

"Well done, Prongs." Sirius was saying. Then there was a slapping sound that was probably Sirius clapping James on the back.

"I really don't get how she went from hating you to… doing _that_ in a week, but okay…" Remus sounded sort of skeptical. "But that's really great, James." He laughed. "Although I must say, not at all what I was expecting. I keep thinking I'll come in here and see Sirius and Katy off for a private snog-fest."

"If we were going to do that, we'd at least use the Room of Requirement. That way you couldn't find us."

"Room of Requirement?" Katy mouthed to Lily who shrugged her shoulders and leaned in closer to the door.

"So are you two a thing now?" Sirius asked.

"Nah, I can't ask her out, you know that. And Padfoot, this had better not be some clever joke to get me to ask her out. I would never speak to any of you again if it was. I hope you know that."

"James, we would never do that. Honestly, I think Kate and I can deal with not making out for a few weeks." Katy was surprised at how easily Sirius lied to his best friend. She glanced at Lily and was also surprised to see the obvious guilt and pain in Lily's face.

"So why doesn't she ask you out?" Remus asked and Katy silently cursed him for giving James that idea.

"I doubt she'd want to." Sirius said, almost too quickly. "She's not that type I think… she's a romantic or at least that's what Katy tells me. She'll want you to ask her out. So I guess you just have to wait. Bad timing Prongs."

"Unbelievably bad timing." James agreed.

"So what do I do now?" Lily hissed, grabbing Katy and pulling her down the boys dorm stairs and up into the girls dorm where Mary and Aimy where playing the most unusual game of chess Katy had ever seen; she suspected they didn't know the rules to chess and were making it up as they went.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I obviously can't pretend it didn't happen!" Lily sounded positively alarmed.

"What didn't happen?" Mary asked, glancing up from her careful positioning of her players in a six sided star.

"James and Lily were just making out for like ten minutes." Katy giggled and Lily turned bright red while Mary went tumbling down to the floor in shock and Aimy was frozen in her own chair, staring dumbly at Lily. "I mean, it wasn't by choice." She paused and looked at Lily who was getting steadily redder and redder. "It wasn't by choice was it?" She asked Lily. Lily shook her head fiercely but didn't say anything. "Oh my god Lily, you like James!" She yelled.

"Do not!" Lily said, glaring at her, finally looking up from the floor.

"Then why are you so red?" Mary asked skeptically.

"Because everyone's going to think I do!" She started pacing. "If it had just been Black and Katy, it wouldn't matter, but Remus came in and saw us… you know and so now he thinks I'm secretly in love with Potter too and I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"You have to play along, Lil." Katy said, preparing herself for the explosion.

"You guys still aren't on about getting James to ask her out so that you and Sirius can hook up."

'Hook up? I'd rather not ponder what you're implying with that Mary Macdonald."

"Fine, then don't." She giggled. "But why would you get James to kiss Lily? Isn't that just about the cruelest thing you could ever do? Everyone knows James is completely in love with her and playing with him like that awful! I mean it was funny when Lily was strutting round in those stupid outfits and pretending it didn't happen, but don't you think that went a bit overboard?"

"Well that wasn't part of the plan." Katy frowned. "I don't even know how it happened… how did it happen Lily?"

"Well, we were sitting on his bed and talking and then he stood up and pulled me up next to him and asked if I liked him at all to which I replied something incoherent but neither yes, nor no and then he started kissing me!"

"And then Sirius and I walked in and saw you two and stared, completely out of surprise, I assure you, then we went outside of the dorm room and then Remus went running in and saw them and was loud about seeing them and it broke them apart and now here we are." Katy finished. "But it doesn't seem to have worked. James is probably going to be just fine not asking her out again until this stupid bet is over cause now he's sure she likes him back and other people saw it happen so she can't back out of it." Katy was now pacing too. "I'm sorry Lily, I didn't think this would happen!" She paused and looked at Lily as their paths crossed. "Why did you kiss him back?"

"Cause if I had been like 'you revolt me, go away!' he would have known what was up and I didn't even realize what I was doing at first. I was too busy trying to decide if I was going to pull away or go along with it to really notice my body had already decided."

"Well, that's the one thing that could ruin our plan." Katy frowned at the floor. "Now you can't be… oh I don't know the word, a temptress? any more. Now if we keep this going, you have to still play along. Or we tell him what we were doing and all lose James as a friend." Katy sighed, this was backfiring in her and Sirius' faces. It wasn't going at all how they thought it would. That night, Katy made sure not to let Lily out of her sight because she knew Lily was patrolling and wanted to go with her to talk.

* * *

_aaaaand back to Lily!_

"Lily wait!" Lily turned and saw Katy running out of the portrait hole after her and sighed. She had a pretty good idea what Katy wanted.

"Oh, I didn't know you wanted to come." She said lamely.

"Whatever. Lily we need to talk about today."

"Haven't we already?"

"Not enough and I want to apologize to you. I didn't think it would do this to you. And I'm the one who made you do it. I feel awful." Lily saw the absolute sincerity in Katy's face and started laughing.

"I was never upset with you!" She laughed harder. "I was just so, so, so confused!"

"Confused?" Katy frowned and Lily suddenly stopped laughing. She knew what she was about to be asked and she really didn't want to be asked it. "Lily, do you like him?"

"I…" Lily trailed off. She didn't know how to answer that. She had spent the afternoon thinking hard and still didn't know how she felt about the whole thing. She had finally admitted to herself that she had enjoyed the kiss but she didn't know where that left her feelings or what it meant. She had always hated Potter, on the few exceptions he had seemed decent. But now she couldn't get the image of him standing there, smiling at her without his shirt on and she wasn't sure what she thought about that. Her mind was having a private battle, going back and forth from being vaguely disgusted and thinking he was actually rather good looking. She kept also reliving their kiss in her head and was appalled that she couldn't come up with anything bad about it. Sure she knew it wasn't supposed to have been sincere but a funny little voice in her head kept saying if it wasn't, why did she keep it going so long?

"Lily?" Katy asked and Lily realized she had been standing still, completely phased out for several minutes.

"I don't know." She said miserably. "I don't know."

"Do you feel guilty about what happened?"

"Yes."

"Did you enjoy kissing him?"

"…yes." Lily whispered, looking at the ground.

"Do you want to kiss him again?" Katy asked in a funny voice.

"What?" Lily asked, not sure if she had heard properly.

"Do you want to kiss him again?" Katy repeated.

"I – no! I mean… I think… oh, I don't know." She frowned.

"What would you do right now if James was here and started kissing you?"

In her smallest voice yet, Lily answered, "Kiss him back." She glanced up at Katy who looked so happy Lily was quite alarmed she might burst. "But you know, just for the plan." She added quickly and in an unnaturally high voice.

"Right, for the plan." Katy agreed in a mock-like low pitched voice and burst out laughing. "You like him!" She cried. "Lily you like him!"

"I do not!" Lily said, slightly hysterically although she new hysteria was unreasonable and just add to Katy's new claim of Lily's feelings for Potter.

"Lily Evans loves James Potter!" Katy sang out at the top of her voice. "Lily loves James! Lily Evans and James Potter, the unmatch that is!"

"The unmatch that is?" Lily snickered. "We aren't a couple Katy! I don't even like him. Besides he can't ask me anyway." She added, frowning at Katy.

"Ha!" Katy looked triumphant. "And you're mad about that! I knew it! Lily loves James! Lily loves James! Lily loves – " Katy cut off, they had just rounded a corner and come face to face with McGonagall.

"Miss Cupit what are you doing out of Gryffindor Tower? Need I remind you it is after curfew?"

"Well, that would explain why there aren't many students out." Katy said grinning and Lily mentally slapped herself. Katy was in such a good mood she wouldn't care that she was probably about to get detention.

"I do not appreciate comments of that sort Miss Cupit. Miss Evans, I believe you are a prefect. Why did you not instruct your friend to return to the common room?" Lily muttered something that did not convince Professor McGonagall. "Detention, for both of you, tomorrow night. Come to my office at eight o'clock."

"Yes, Professor." Lily muttered, turning red.

"See you then!" Katy said brightly and followed Lily down the hall. "Lily loves – " But she was cut off again.

"Miss Cupit, please refrain from that pointless singing! Or I shall have to give you detention for the rest of the week!"

"Oh Professor, that would be cruel. Do you know it's my seventeenth birthday on Sunday? I don't think anyone deserves to be in detention on their birthday. Particularly their seventeenth."

"Then I suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower immediately and without singing so that you don't have to be in detention on your birthday."

"Right you are Professor."

"Thank you Miss Cupit. Now do I need to ask why you are still here?"

"Well, I was talking to you and I assumed you wouldn't want me to leave while you were talking. It would be impolite."

"Well thank you, Miss Cupit. Now off you go." Lily and Katy turned, Lily about to reprimand Katy for how she had acted towards Professor McGonagall when McGonagall turned back to them. "Happy Birthday Miss Cupit."

"Did she just…" Katy asked, staring dumbfounded at McGonagall's retreating figure. "Did she just wish me a happy birthday?"

"Yes I think she did. Surprised to find out she's actually human?"

"Yeah, I thought she must be a strictly programmed robot." Lily snorted.

"Katy, you never cease to amuse me." Katy grinned widely at her. "However, you amused me far less than usual when you got me in detention just there."

"Lily, you ought to be glad!" Lily raised her eyebrows, she had no idea where Katy was going with this. "You don't like James, remember? That's what you keep trying to tell me and here you have a perfect excuse not to hang out with him tomorrow night."

"Katy, you're a genius. How can I thank you enough?" Lily grinned.

"Well, you could get me out of the detention…"

"I actually can't."

"Rubbish."

* * *

_katy's turn!_

"Why is Lily avoiding me?" James asked Katy at lunch the next day.

"Uh… cause she's nervous!" Katy tried to sound sure of herself.

"So she isn't pretending nothing happened?"

"Oh Merlin, no she isn't." Katy frowned. "She's just being shy, that's all."

"Why?" James didn't get it. Katy sighed.

"Because she hated you for so long, she doesn't know what to think… now."

"So she really does like me? Like for real?" he asked and Katy was reminded of a little boy seeing a large pile of presents of Christmas morning.

"Judging by that little snog from yesterday. Although, I suppose it wasn't actually all that little… but yes, judging from that, I'd say she does." Katy thought it wasn't really a lie. If she had seen anyone else kissing someone like that she would say they liked the other person. Katy snorted, James was bright red.

"Thank you Katy!" He yelled and raced off, out of the Great Hall.

"Well that was… yes I think I really… what about you?" Katy mumbled and then turned to Sirius who had been watching the exchange between her and James with great amusement.

"What about me what?" he asked.

"What do you think?"

"I think that unless Lily decides she actually does like James you and I are both going to lose our best friend." He said a little sadly.

"But she does like him!"

"She does?"

"Yes she does! I know it. She told me she liked snogging him. And when I asked her what she would do if he was kissing her right now. Well, last night, but you get it. She said 'kiss him back' just like that. Then she got all weird and added 'but just for the plan' in a really lame sort of this-is-a-major-excuse type voice, but she does like him. I know it! And we got detention because I was singing about it."

"Beg pardon?"

"I was singing 'Lily Evans loves James Potter' at the top of my voice on patrol with her and McGonagall found us."

"Did you say Lily loves James?"

"Lily Evans and James Potter?"

"Are they together?"

"I thought she hated him…"

"Lily and James?"

"Potter and Evans?"

Suddenly people from around then who had heard were pressing in on them, asking questions, but Katy was fully able to admit that hearing Lily's best friend say that Lily loved James was not something anyone in Hogwarts had ever expected to happen.

"I can't say anything. There's really nothing tell yet." Katy grinned at the people around her.

"Yet?" Megan Crowley from Hufflepuff asked.

"Yet." Katy grinned and grabbed Sirius and pulled him out of the Great Hall after her.

"Katy, you're terrible. You're a terrible, awful person and I have never been prouder of you." Sirius said, laughing as soon as they got out of the Great Hall.

"If I wasn't so worried about what James would make me do, I'd kiss you right now, Sirius." She whispered, leaning in close to him.

"Don't tell me that, now I know I'm missing something."

"Sorry." She looked up at him and for the first time realized just how much taller than her he was. She grinned at him and he leaned down and rested his head on top of hers.

"Aw, you two!" Mary came into the main entrance and grinned at the sight of them. "Although I'm guessing that's just cause you can't do anything else."

"Wait to spoil a moment." Katy frowned.

"Don't try to deny it, Cupit." Mary smirked.

"So with this new James and Lily thing, what are you going to do to him if he loses the bet?"

"Depends, because now I am convinced Lily actually likes him, so I don't know what she would say if he asks her out. I suppose if she says yes and I want to be really, really mean I would tell him he can't go on the date with her but then he would just ask her on a second date and that wouldn't be an issue. So maybe not… I don't really know." Katy thought for a moment and then gave Sirius an evil grin. "I'll make him tell me your secret." She giggled and Sirius looked unfathomably alarmed.

"No, Katy you just can't." He said rather sternly, which amused Katy even more.

"Watch me." She grinned wickedly.

"I really hoped it wouldn't come down to this, but sorry, Kate." Sirius shrugged an apology and leaned down and kissed her full on the lips. She tried to pull back, but he was much stronger than she was and she couldn't.

Lily was rushing down the corridor towards the Great Hall, knowing James was not very far behind her. She got into the main entrance and stopped dead. Sirius and Katy were full on kissing in the middle of everything. Lily went up closer to them and realized it was clearly a one-sided kiss. She could hear Katy attempting to say stop and see that Sirius wasn't letting her pull away, however it all seemed to be in good fun. Mary and Aimy were both laughing their heads off. Potter rounded the corner and let out a yell of triumph.

"Ha! I knew it! You lose Katy Cupit, you lose!" He yelled, rushing over to where they were. Sirius immediately broke contact upon hearing Potter. Katy _was_ properly angry but there was laughter in her eyes.

"Sirius Black I am going to hex your sorry ass so far into the next century you won't ever get it back!" She shrieked and began punching every inch of him she could reach.

"So I'll stay in this century, just my ass will be in the future? Don't you think it might confuse the future students of Hogwarts if there is an, and an incredibly nice one I might add, an ass floating around the entrance hall?"

Katy muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "arrogant prat" and turned to Potter.

"That does not count at all! He forced me to! Ask Mary and Aimy. He did it because I told him if you lost I would make you tell me what your secret is."

"I don't know why he got so worked up." Potter said with a grin. "I would have lied."

"James Potter you are worse than he is!" Katy yelled and slapped James across the arm.

"So you lose then." He smirked. "You are at my mercy." He laughed and Katy looked really quite alarmed, Lily didn't blame her. She would be terrified if Potter had just told _her_ she was at his mercy.

"No!" Katy was shouting. "I do not lose! I did not want that kiss to happen!"

"But it did." Potter said with a grin.

"Ugh!" Katy yelled and stomped out.

"So I guess your bet is over." Aimy said after a long, painful silence.

"Oh yeah… it is." Potter's face lit up and he turned to Lily. "Lily, will you go out with me?"

_mwahahahahahaahahahhahahahah_

_so what do you think will happen? i really want to know! i do, i do! haha god i sound like a freak... but that is a-okay by me!_

_Also, as it seems tohave been astablished that Katy lost, though she may have some opinions to the contrary, what do you think James will make her do?_

_Lily_


	44. Chapter 43

_thank you iBlametheNargles for reviewing! _

_so i just realized taht in a little over a month, i am leaving the country for a year and will have very limited access to my internet. so it may feel like i am doing a lot of and a month later... type stuff, although really, they're close to being out of school and then it's only what? three years till lily and james die and sirius goes to azkaban? but if i don't finish this story before i leave it will be like a year before i do and i don't want to do that._

* * *

_From Chapter 42:_

"_So I guess your bet is over." Aimy said after a long, painful silence._

"_Oh yeah… it is." Potter's face lit up and he turned to Lily. "Lily, will you go out with me?"_

Chapter 43  
_Katy_

Katy was running, running as fast as she could towards Gryffindor Tower. Suddenly she stopped running and first year behind her went smashing into her. He muttered a terrified apology and hurried along past her. _I lost,_ she thought to herself, _even if it wasn't fair, James is never going to agree it doesn't count._ Having established to herself that she had definitely lost the bet, she turned and ran full tilt back in the direction she had come from.

She got into the main entrance of the castle and continued running until she reached her friends.

"I guess if I lost, I can do this." She panted and kissed Sirius. She kissed him like her life depended on it and he responded rather enthusiastically. She felt like they were both making up for the past week and then starting laughing when she realized it had only been a week! Everything had been turned upside down in a week! She was giggling and kissing him all at the same time.

"Katy, you are the queen of unbelievable timing." Sirius grinned when she finally pulled back. She looked at him and looked around and could suddenly feel the tension hanging in the air. James was looking expectantly at Lily and glancing over at her and Sirius, a bit of apprehension on his face. Lily looked like she wanted nothing more than to sink in the floor and never be seen again.

"What did I miss…?" Katy had a feeling she missed something rather big.

"James just asked Lily out." Mary said, looking back and forth between the aforementioned pair like she was watching a tennis match.

"What?" Katy shrieked. "How did I miss that? What did she say?"

"Well, nothing yet. He asked her about fourteen seconds before you came running over to make out with Sirius." Mary giggled.

"I'm gone. Not here. Answer the question Lily." Katy smiled widely at Lily who looked up to glare at her and then looked back at the floor.

"Lily… I thought you liked me…" James said sadly, and when Lily didn't respond he turned and walked slowly away from the group back toward the Gryffindor common room. Lily looked up as he walked away and Katy saw tears pouring down her face. Lily ran over to where James was and grabbed his arm. He turned around and his face lit up when he saw her. She didn't say anything, but what she did shocked Katy more than anything else had that day. Lilt stood up on her tiptoes and kissed James briefly on the lips before fleeing in the direction of the common room.

James was rooted to the spot. He looked a mixture of disappointed, ecstatic and whole heartedly confused. Katy, Sirius, Mary and Aimy all went running over to him.

"James!" Katy yelled and jumped on him, hugging him and laughing. His surprise at having Katy holding on to him brought him out of his reverie and he spun her around.

"Did that really just happen?" he asked, still sort of in a daze.

"Yes!" Katy cried. "Now I have to go talk to Lily." She grinned at him, paused to give Sirius a kiss goodbye which turned into something a bit more only stopped by Mary and Aimy grabbing her two arms and pulling her away.

"We have to talk to Lily." Mary said as they walked.

"No, we have to let her be. If she wanted to talk about it, she wouldn't have run away. Besides, class starts again in about two minutes." Aimy argued to Mary who shrugged.

"I'll talk to her in detention tonight. McGonagall gave us both detention." Katy grimaced. "So let's not push it right now. I'm just about going to blow my socks off I'm so confused." Both Mary and Aimy gave Katy incredibly weird looks at that but she just grinned. "Anyone know what class we have next?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I am. Why?"

"Honestly Kate, we've only had this schedule for like nine months." Aimy gave Katy a look that plainly said "you are hopeless" but Katy shrugged it off.

* * *

At five to eight that evening, Katy still couldn't find Lily. She hadn't come to classes in the afternoon and she hadn't been at dinner. Katy finally had to give up and go to detention. She wasn't altogether surprised to see Lily sitting on the ground outside of McGonagall's classroom. When she saw Katy, Lily looked up and gave a brave attempt at a grin and followed Katy into the classroom. They crossed to the back and knocked on the door.

"Come in." said a stern voice and Katy gulped. She pushed open the heavy office door and walked in. "Good evening, girls."

"Good evening Professor." Katy and Lily mumbled.

"If you will follow me please." McGonagall said, standing up and leading the way out of her office. They followed her down the corridor and then down another and another and then finally they stopped in front of a classroom Katy had never been inside of before. McGonagall opened the door and gestured for the two of them to go inside. She followed, letting the door bang shut behind her. "Peeves saw fit to dump a large amount of ink on the desks of this room. The two of you will be cleaning it up, no magic allowed." She added, gave them one piercing gaze and turned and left the room.

"Great… cleaning up after Peeves and no magic." Katy muttered. "Just great."

"It could be worse." Lily offered in an attempt to lighten the mood. "We could've been stuck with Filch."

"That man is awful." Katy agreed. "And it's only like his tenth year here. He'll be a nightmare in about twenty years."

"Maybe he'll have died."

"Merlin I hope so. I do not want my children to have to deal with him."

"Do you want kids?" Lily sat up, on her knees and looked at Katy.

"Heaps of them. I love my brother and sister, but I always wished I had more siblings. I want a big family. I want to get married and have kids right away." Katy grinned.

"You never struck me as the big family type." Lily smiled. "I want a little family. Just me, my husband and one to three kids." She giggled.

"One to three?"

"Yup, no more than three, I know that."

"Alright, so to use round about logic, marriage comes after engagement, engagement comes after going steady, going steady comes after dating and/or snogging. So what's happening with you and James?"

"That was a pathetic attempt at keeping this conversation on the same subject, Katy."

"I don't care. So…"

"So I don't know." Lily wailed.

"Do you like him?" Katy asked for what she felt like was the thousandth time.

"Did we not already discuss this?"

"Alright, alright, so you're secretly in love with James even though you won't admit it to anyone, barely even yourself?" Katy asked giggling.

"Perhaps." Lily conceded.

"So why did you kiss him today?" Lily looked up. "You must know it means something. Something big."

"I do. But I didn't know what to do." Lily frowned. "I mean, sure, he's an arrogant egotistical toerag, but he's… Potter."

"High praise…" Katy laughed. "So even though you hate him a lot, there's something about him you're attracted to?"

"And we've had a few normal conversations and when I was in his dorm yesterday," Lily turned pink when she mentioned his dorm. "He was so sincere about everything. I'd always just assumed he thought I was pretty, nothing else."

"And I've been trying to tell you that isn't true, but you, my dear, are far too proud to admit you were wrong." Katy said, half joking.

"What does it look like I'm doing now?"

"Fair point."

"Thank you. So now are you satisfied?"

"Not in the least. Now that we have established that you do like him. I have to know two more things. One, are you going to say yes you want to go out with him? Two, now you have to tell me everything like what was it like kissing him, you know, we get to be girls now. Oh! And another thing. You should try and find out exactly what he's planning on making me do, and convince him not to do it." She grinned.

"Nah, I think it will be funny. Unless it's creepy. Or gross. Then I will side with you."

"And he won't go against you, so it's perfect." Katy and Lily both started laughing their heads off. "Whipped…" Katy said through her laughter and that made them laugh all the harder. "So, what are you going to do next time you see him?"

"See what he does." Lily grinned.

All in all, they didn't get very much done in detention as so were rewarded with another detention the following evening.

* * *

On Saturday, James had still not approached Katy about what he was going to make her do and it was causing her large amounts of worry. After lunch however, he came up to her and pulled her aside.

"So Katy, what are you doing tomorrow night?" He began, feigning casualty.

"I don't know, probably something with Sirius."

"Nope." He grinned. "I get control tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" She hoped beyond hope she had heard him incorrectly.

"I get control of your day tomorrow. You lost Katy, so I get to decide what happens."

"James Potter if you ruin my seventeenth birthday I will never speak to you again."

"I won't, trust me it will be fun."

* * *

The next day, James wished her a happy birthday and was pleased for her and everything, but he pretty much let her do as she pleased during the day. However, at seven thirty that evening he tapped her shoulder.

"You can bring one person up." He grinned. "And I'm already bringing Sirius."

"Lily." Katy said quickly and Lily looked up from the book she had been reading to blush a deep crimson color at the sight of James. Katy grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her up. James gestured for them to follow him up to the boys' dorm.

They got to the top of the stairs and James grabbed both of their arms and pulled them to a stop. He opened the door and poked his head around the corner.

"Are we ready?" He asked. Katy couldn't hear the response, but James pulled his head back outside of the dorm. "Let's go." They followed him into the boys' dorm room. The beds all were gone, but on closer inspection, they had actually been shrunk and piled in a corner of the room. There was a table with four chairs and a strange assortment of finger snack food on one side of the room. The rest of the room was clear of everything, Katy was surprised by that, usually the dorm was a pig sty.

Sirius was sitting in one of the chairs smiling at her. She grinned and sat in the chair next to him. Lily blushed a little when she noticed that the seating arrangement put her next to James, but sat down without protest. James disappeared into the bathroom and returned with some drinks. He set one down in front of each person and Katy heard Sirius laugh quietly, but she wasn't sure why.

Katy looked down at the drink in front of her. She picked it up; Butterbeer sounded delightful just then and almost dropped it when she saw the label.

"James, I am not drinking Firewhiskey!" She frowned at him.

"Oh, I think you are." He grinned. "I call the shots remember?"

"You're low my friend, terribly low."

"If it's worth anything," Sirius said laughing. "I protested against this whole thing at first."

"Yeah, yeah, enough small talk, drink up dear." James grinned and nodded toward the Firewhiskey. Katy glared at him and took a sip. She spat it out again right away.

"That was the weirdest, the worst; the… it was actually rather good." She said and took another drink. This time she kept it in her mouth, grinning at Lily who was watching her with an open mouth.

_i promise this isn't going to be like a they all get pissed and play truth or dare type thing. while those are highly amusing... no i'm not doing that. this evening does have a plan, but it must be from Lily's point of view!_

_Lily_

_review review!_


	45. Chapter 44

_well, this is by far the longest chapter... if i had a bit of seer in me, i would have made it two, but oh well. it's better as one long one._

Chapter 44  
_Lily_

Lily was thinking hard. She was using the excuse of staring open-mouthed at Katy to collect her thoughts. Mostly she was confused. Potter had kissed her, really kissed her on Thursday and she had kissed him back even if it had been supposed to be a trick. Then he had asked her out the next day and all she had done was kiss him lightly and then run away. To her immense shock, he hadn't mentioned it. He was just nice to her on Saturday. He didn't try to corner her and get an answer, he didn't try to kiss her again, he just smiled when he passed her and acted like nothing unusual had happened. Knowing Potter, this really worried Lily. He wasn't exactly Mr. Cool and Collected. Then there was the inescapable business of the shivers that went down her spine when Potter had touched her arm just before they came into the dorm room.

"Lily?" Sirius' voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

"Just fine, thanks." She replied without really thinking about what she was saying.

"Want something to drink?" Potter asked her. "I can't force you to drink anything, but I'll get you something." There it was again, he was just being too nice to her for her to be comfortable.

"Just a Butterbeer." She grinned when he looked slightly disappointed.

"Lily, dear." Sirius said, he too had a Firewhiskey in front of him. "You are no fun at all. We don't need anyone to be responsible, we're in a dorm room! How wild can it get? You get to have a good time. This is a birthday party! Here, try some of Katy's before she finishes the whole thing." Sirius carefully took the bottle away from Katy, who, Lily was alarmed to see, was consuming it with frightening rapidity. Lily sighed to show Sirius it wasn't her first choice and gingerly took a sip of the Firewhiskey. "So what do you think?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"I have rather the same opinion Katy did. It's weird." Lily said, frowning at the bottle in her hand. "But it's still good, crazy odd, but good." Sirius snickered. "But I'm still not getting drunk. And you better watch her, or she will and I'm going to let you be the one to deal with her!" Sirius stopped snickering but defiantly took a large sip of his own Firewhiskey. "You're a prat, Black." Lily grinned.

"Perhaps, but it works for me, don't you think?" He said grinning at her.

"Yes, you just wouldn't be you if you weren't an egotistical prat." Lily laughed.

"So Lily, I don't know if you were trying to pull it off as unnoticed, or you really didn't notice, but you've just drank a good third of what was in that bottle." Sirius pointed out and Lily blanched. She looked at the bottle in her hand and he was right, about of third of what was in it when it got handed to her was gone. She quickly shoved the bottle back across the table. "Lily, it's okay. You don't have to be a prefect tonight. Enjoy yourself. Loosen up!" He laughed and flicked a peanut from the little bowl on their table at her.

"Oh you asked for it, Sirius!" She grinned and grabbed a handful of them, showering him with peanuts.

"I threw _one_ peanut at you. One. And you lob a million at me?" he grabbed then entire bowl and emptied it over her head. He set it down looking pleased with himself but it filled itself up again and before he noticed, Lily grabbed it and emptied it over _his_ head.

"Got to love magic!" Lily screeched. Just then Potter returned with Lily's Butterbeer. He set it down in front her and surveyed the table with a wary look. Katy was happily downing the bottle in front of her and Sirius and Lily were both covered in peanuts.

"Wow…" He said and sat down in the chair next to Lily. "Why do you smell like Firewhiskey?" Potter asked Lily, who blushed when he came near her.

"Sirius made me try some of Katy's." She whispered, fiddling with her hands in her lap.

"And then she drank a third of it!" Sirius snickered.

"Wow Lily, I didn't think you had it in you." Potter actually seemed impressed and it made Lily blush all the more.

"You don't think I can drink?" She asked and he gave her a confused look.

"No, I just didn't think you would drink. Aren't you better than that?" he added, laughing.

"You are not helping, Prongs, she might have agreed to have some more if you don't round making useless comments like that."

"Hey, I am not trying to get Lily drunk." Potter said defensively.

"I'm not either, just trying to help her have a good time. Look at Katy, she's enjoying herself."

"She hasn't said anything all night because she's too busy finishing that bottle. I don't think you should give her more." Lily said. Katy already had that sort of stupid smile on her face that Lily characterized with being drunk, well, maybe just sort of tipsy.

"Well, I believe a toast is in order, because if our guest of honor keeps going like she is, she won't be part of the party for too much longer, so while she is still in good conscience, Happy Birthday Katy!" Potter said and Katy looked up at her name, smiling widely at Potter.

"Happy Birthday Katy!" Katy said, beaming around at everyone.

Everyone said happy birthday and then Katy sort of flopped back over so she was leaning against Sirius again.

"Katy is not a very exciting drunk, I must say." Potter remarked in the air of someone commenting on the weather.

"Perhaps if you fill her up with a few more?" Sirius suggested with a lopsided grin.

"Maybe not." Lily cut in. "We do have classes tomorrow you know."

"So? It's double Defense first thing, that's easy." Potter laughed. "We can skip it."

"I do not skip class, Potter." Lily said severely.

"No, but you could be an actress, that was scary how similar it was to McGonagall." Potter laughed.

"And it was all for your benefit. I just adore terrifying you." Lily smirked and then wished she hadn't. She blushed a deep red and looked away.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Potter took out his wand and conjured a Muggle radio. Lily gave him an odd look and he got up from his chair. He turned on the radio to whatever station was on just then and it started playing _My Sentimental Friend_ by Herman's Hermits.

"Dance with me Lily?" He asked and she blushed the hardest she had all evening, but stood up and took his offered hand.

"We're not going to let them beat us out, are we?" Sirius jokingly asked Katy who sat up and grinned stupidly at him. He pulled her out of her chair and close to him as they began dancing next to Lily and Potter.

"I'm sorry, Lily." Potter said quietly as they swayed, he was hugging her close to him and she was positively trembling there were so many shivers shooting up and down her spine.

"For what?" She looked up at him and finally let herself admit she thought he was quite good looking.

"For everything. I know I annoyed you, I know I was a prat to you. And I'm sorry."

"Don't be, you wouldn't be you if you weren't like that." She grinned, she knew that was unbelievably sappy, but it was true.

They kept dancing after the song ended and Lily noticed that this station seemed to only be playing Herman's Hermits songs.

"Lily?" Potter asked quietly in the break between songs, he opened his mouth to say something but the next song had started and it seemed to have caught his attention.

_Out of the pages of books that I read  
I can recall that somewhere someone said  
If you don't succeed  
Try again_

_So I'm comin' to you with my heart in my hands  
Usin' every ounce of strength I can  
Don't turn me away  
Listen what I've got to say_

"Well," Potter said grinning. "He kinda stole my thunder." Lily giggled and they both fell silent, listening to the song.

_Cuz I live and breathe you  
God knows how much I need you  
__And I'll never leave you  
God knows I love you_

_Too insecure as lovers we failed  
The princess and the white knight lived in fairy tales  
or so that story goes_

_We read so right from the very start  
Now here we are both with broken hearts  
Let's not part this way_

_Cuz I live and breathe you  
God knows how much I need you  
And I'll never leave you  
God knows I love you_

_Cuz time ran away  
And took you by the hand  
If I can't bring you back  
Maybe, maybe time can_

_Cuz I live and breathe you  
God knows how much I need you  
And I'll never leave you  
God knows I love you  
God knows I need you  
God knows I want you  
God knows I love you_

When the song finished, Lily sighed and looked up at Potter. That song pretty much summed up the relationship she and Potter had had up until that point. The next song that came on was called _Jezebel_ and it made Lily feel incredibly guilty although she knew it wasn't actually having anything to do with her. Potter couldn't control the songs on the radio. He also seemed a little uncomfortable and neither said anything, they weren't even dancing anymore; they were just standing there, in the middle of the dorm room.

Lily looked over and Katy and Sirius. Katy had perked up and they were laughing and talking together, oblivious to what exactly the lyrics of the various songs on were.

After _Jezebel_ ended, the awkwardness between her and Potter evaporated. Lily didn't recognize the song that was playing but it had a good beat.

"Lily," Potter started again, but she cut him off.

"No, you already apologized and you shouldn't have. Now it's my turn. I'm sorry I treated you how I did." Lily said quickly. Potter pulled her chin up so she was looking directly at him. Lily had never noticed what a nice hazel color his eyes were.

"Don't be, you wouldn't be you if you weren't like that." He grinned at her.

"Copy-cat." She muttered and then burst out laughing. This attracted the attention of Sirius and Katy who stopped dancing and talking to look at them.

"Are they going to kiss again?" Katy whispered loudly to Sirius who grinned expectantly at Lily and Potter.

"I think we'll just have to wait and see, Katy." Sirius smiled. "But I'd say so." With that he twirled Katy around and started whispering something in her ear that was evidently funny. After a few minutes he pulled her back and with a quick glance at the other pair of people in the room, he started kissing her.

Lily was suddenly aware of the fact that she and Potter were close enough they could have kissed. This didn't make her uncomfortable, but she wanted to know what he was thinking just then. She had her arms folded against his chest, with her palms open and he was holding her tightly in the small of her back.

And then she felt his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and smiled, kissing him back. She didn't know how long the kiss lasted but she knew if felt right. It was perfect. Lily was somewhat afraid that it was a dream because she didn't believe that the punishment James had in mind for Katy was a nice birthday evening. She realized all of a sudden that it was completely silent. She pulled away from him and turned to the side to see Sirius pointing his wand at the radio, apparently he had turned it off and he and Katy were staring at the two of them with matching grins. Lily smiled back sheepishly and turned so she was leaning against Potter.

"I knew it!" Katy said excitedly and starting bouncing up and down.

"I don't know what you did to that drink, mate, but it seems to have altered both of them." Sirius said with a smirk. "Katy was all quiet and weird, and now she has rather a lot of energy and Lily…" He trailed off pointedly, smiling angelically. There was a short moment of silence and then Sirius pulled Katy back over to the table. "Now, I am hungry. Let's eat some of this delectable food."

"It's snacks you nicked from the kitchen, Sirius." Lily frowned at him.

"And it's delicious." He laughed.

"We're not dancing anymore?" Katy asked loudly, pointing back at the middle of the room which was now empty as Lily and Potter had come back over to the table.

"Nah, you wore me out." Sirius kissed her on the cheek and she turned pink.

"I did?" She giggled like mad. "Is that good?" She stopped giggling and got very serious.

"It's just fine, Kate." Sirius gave her a funny look. "You did something weird to her, Prongs."

The four of them ate the various foods on the table. After it was gone, they spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing. Katy was back and forth between extremely hyper and tired and dull. Finally there was a timid knock on the door at midnight.

"Sorry to interrupt," Remus began, coming inside. "But I was kind of hoping to go to bed soon." He looked around apologetically. "Peter's asleep in the common room, but I can't sleep on couches very easily." He paused. "Sorry, I don't mean to force your party to end."

"Merlin!" Lily jumped up. "It's midnight! Right, Katy, off we go." She grabbed Katy and pulled her out of the chair. Katy glared at her.

"Let's just stay here?" She suggested. The three boys are started laughing.

"Stay here? Katy we are not sleeping in here."

"Why not? They don't bite." Katy giggled.

"Perhaps not, but we aren't staying here." Lily rolled her eyes.

"Wait, I get my goodnight and happy birthday kiss before you make off with my girlfriend." Sirius grabbed Katy by the waist and pulled her away from Lily. That only made Katy giggle harder. Lily blushed when the two of them started heavily kissing and glanced over at James before looking quickly at the floor.

"I'll just go back downstairs." Remus said quickly. "I'll see you when you come down. Night." And he fled from the room.

Potter grinned and took hold of both of Lily's hands pulling her close to him. He kissed her once, it was a long kiss, but she was grateful he didn't try to make it anything more.

"Now get out of here, Jezebel." Sirius said, winking at Lily who giggled and leaned back into James.

"Goodnight, James." Lily whispered in his ear and turned away from him to look at Katy who was still smiling back and forth between the two of them. She grabbed Katy's hand and pulled her out of the room. They got into the common room and before someone called Katy's name. They turned around and saw James grinning mischievously at her.

"So, Katy, I knew you wouldn't trust me to give you a nice evening with the whole me choosing how to get you for the bet, but I hope you don't think that was what you have to do; make out with Sirius."

"What?" Katy asked groggily, she was clearly about to collapse.

"I'll enlighten you tomorrow, shall I?" He smirked. "That way you'll actually remember it. Night Lily." He smiled at her and she turned pink in response. She quickly muttered a good night to Remus and Peter and dragged Katy upstairs.

* * *

The next morning, Lily was shaken awake by Aimy.

"Lily! What are you doing? You're always the first one up! How are you still asleep? Class starts in like a minute!" She said frantically.

"I'm sick. Katy too." Lily groaned. She knew she didn't have anything like a hangover, but she had had loads of trouble falling asleep the night before as she went over the evening's events in her mind time after time again. She had had a fitful sleep as she dreamt that she and Potter, or James, she had no idea how to think of him now, got married and then he promptly disappeared. That dream had woke her up only to fall asleep and have a dream where they switched roles and she asked him out and he yelled all sorts of insults and declined and that one also woke her up. All in all, Lily was not up for class that morning.

She couldn't fall back asleep and so she sat in her bed, pondering everything that was going through her head. After about forty minutes, she heard a little moan from Katy's bed. Katy was slowly stirring and she looked like she had it bad. She too looked like she had had some odd dreams that night. She was sweaty and rather tangled in her sheet. She had a determined frown on her face and her forehead was creased in what looked like pain. All of a sudden her eyes opened and she sat up incredibly fast.

"Oh Merlin that hurt!" She yelled before falling back. Lily jumped out of her bed and hurried over to Katy's. Katy _had_ had more to drink that Lily, but it wasn't that much. Lily thought maybe it hit her worse because it was the first time she had tried it. With lots of effort, Lily managed to get Katy standing up and dragged her down the stairs into the mostly deserted common room. There weren't any free periods just then and the only other people in the common room were Sirius Black and James Potter. Lily smiled at them and sort of flopped Katy over so she was sitting on a couch.

"Whoever's doing that, stop." Katy said darkly.

"Stop what?" Lily asked frowning.

"Somebody is beating me on the head with a mallet and I don't appreciate it." Katy glared around the room and James and Sirius burst out laughing. "Ouch!" Katy yelled, probably at the sudden noise.

"Right, so she's all yours Sirius." Lily said with a grin. "We discussed this last night, didn't we? You get to deal with her."

"I had kind of been hoping you would forget…" Sirius said and got up, walking over towards Katy. "Drink this." He pulled a small vial out of his pocket and uncorked it. "It will make the headache go away. Unfortunately there isn't a potion for getting the alcohol out your system any faster than normal. But this will make you feel better." Katy downed the potion in one gulp and then got a most amusing look on her face. "Oh, guess I forgot to mention it makes you feel sort of weird…" Sirius grinned and Lily distinctly thought he hadn't forgotten about that aspect of the headache potion.

"So James," Lily said, trying to keep it casual. James smiled at her and she momentarily lost her train of thought. "What are you going to make Katy do?" She was actually curious. "You said you'd tell us today."

"Well," James grinned at Sirius who looked confused. "We have something we're going to pull." Sirius grinned but still looked confused. Lily was incredibly suspicious. "And it would be terrific if we didn't get in trouble for it." He paused, looking at Katy; she had gotten over the affects of the potion and was staring back at him, looking a bit apprehensive. "And we know how much Katy loves to help us, so…"

"Prongs, she'll get detention for the rest of the year if you make her take credit."

"No she won't! We've done worse, just like a week."

"So I have to say I did it?" Katy asked. James nodded. "And that's all?" He nodded again. "Okay, that's not so hard." Katy shrugged. "When is said prank going to happen? And if you want this to work, please tell me what the prank is, McGonagall won't believe it was me if I don't know about it."

Lily didn't trust Katy's casual manner, she had a feeling Katy had some idea of how to get around this and was trying to lure James into a false sense of security.

Lily didn't know exactly what had changed, but she realized a lot had changed in the last week. Ever since that ridiculous bet. Lily had kissed James, _James Potter_, four times and she had no idea what it all meant. Were they dating now? Did she want to be dating? Technically she hadn't answered yes or no when he asked her, but a kiss seems sort of like conformation, so maybe he thinks they're dating. Lily truly had no idea.

* * *

That evening at dinner there were strange things happening to almost everyone in the Great Hall. It appeared at first to be a trick of the eye, because the students hair was changing from its normal color to a highly unusual one but it would immediately turn back. Lily knew what was going on, but it was still funny to watch. Eventually the Charm fully kicked in and every other bite of food changed the student's hair an alarming new color. And the color stopped disappearing. It would stay that way until the next color took its place. And for a completely unfathomable reason, none of the sixth year Gryffindors seemed to be suffering from the colorful Charm. Professor McGonagall descended from the staff table, looking severely disappointed. Katy grimaced at Lily and waited for McGonagall to get to where they were.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed, how did you eight manage to find a countercharm so quickly?" She asked, pointedly looking at the four boys. She was staring at them and they all four burst out laughing. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you four detention." James looked at Katy and she smiled at him.

"Oh Professor," She waved her arms at McGonagall, getting her attention. "I really don't think you should give them detention."

"And why not Miss Cupit?"

"Because I did this." She gestured vaguely around at the Great Hall. Lily noticed each and every student was watching the exchange with rapt attention. Remus and Peter were looking at Katy like she had gone insane, apparently they hadn't been told the full plan.

"You what?" McGonagall asked sharply. "You did this?"

"I did." Katy nodded solemnly. "Although I suppose I could have made it better." She sighed, grinning wickedly at James and Sirius. "It would have been much less obvious I suppose if I hadn't made the _stupid_ mistake of not having if affect me and my friends. But oh well, I guess _serious lack of planning_ on my part will result in detention." She put on an incredibly put upon expression.

"Yes, I suppose so. Why, though, Miss Cupit. I hadn't thought you were the pranking type?"

"Because I lost a bet with James and the terms were that I had to say I did the next prank he pulls. Well, all four of them pull." She said calmly and Lily nearly choked at seeing the look on James' face when Katy said that. Lily thought she saw the corners of McGonagall's mouth twitch but it happened so fast, she wasn't sure.

"I expect to see you four in my office at eight o'clock sharp every night this week." Professor McGonagall said and turned back to walk up to the Staff Table.

"Kate!" James yelled as soon as McGonagall was back in her seat. Everyone started laughing when he shouted. "You were supposed to take the blame!"

"Technically James I was just supposed to say I did the prank. And I did, you can ask anyone in this room. You never told me I had to take the punishment or that I couldn't tell why I said I did the prank. You never said I couldn't say it wasn't true. All you made me do was say 'I did the prank.'" Lily burst out laughing; that was the Katy she knew and loved. James looked dumbfounded and Sirius and Remus were both trying hard to hide their laughter behind their napkins. Peter on the other hand, was just laughing his head off without trying to conceal it at all.

"Well, I think you deserve a week of detention just for not seeing that gaping hole in your plan. And for being outsmarted so completely by someone who woke up this morning with a bit of a hangover." Sirius grinned, but he said the last bit quietly so only their little group would hear.

"Shove it, Padfoot." James glared but he too was laughing. "Well played, Katy, well played." He extended his hand across the table and she shook it with a grin.

* * *

As May wore on, the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin seemed to intensify. Each day the _Daily Prophet_ brought more news of killings and disappearances. Some of the Slytherins had taken to mocking Gryffindors about family and friends who had been killed which always created sticky situations, but the Gryffindors had a nasty tendency to come off worse in these encounters because the Slytherins who were willing to mock someone about a dead family member, were certainly not above using Dark Magic. These continued all through May and into June. There were also many random curses thrown in the hallways and one day in late June James was hit with some unrecognizable spell in the corridor after Herbology which completely knocked him out. He was brought round almost immediately by Madame Pomphrey and after a few hours was released when no side affect was discovered. No one had any idea what the spell was, because none of them had seen it case, so they could only guess it was a Stunner.

That evening marked exactly one week before exams, and Lily was going through her customary freak out. She was always the last one to bed at night, and one particular evening, she knew she was falling asleep in the deserted except for her common room, but she decided not to go upstairs. It also didn't help that she was extra jumpy and didn't want to sleep because she was so on edge about what had happened to James. Lily didn't really believe that he had been hit with a Stunning spell, that was just too elementary for the sort of curses that were usually cast. She shuddered to think "usually" but it was as true as it could be, it was now quite frequent for someone to be hit with a nasty curse.

Lily was almost done reviewing her last stack of notes for Transfiguration. She adjusted how she was laying on the couch and began reading her notes. About halfway through the third parchment, Lily's concentration was starting to fade, the words were becoming blurry and she fell asleep.

She was woken up by a yell.

"Lily!" James was screaming, running over and shaking her as hard as he could. "Lily, no! Wake up!" He was yelling. "Lily, you can't die."

Lily was seriously alarmed. She sat up, pushing his arms off of her but he didn't seem to notice.

"James, I'm just fine. I only fell asleep." He didn't even look up, he kept shaking his hands, it looked like he thought he was still holding on to her shoulders. He was still staring at the spot on the couch she had recently been laying on and he was shaking.

"Lily!" He yelled again, and he sounded truly desperate.

"James, I'm right here! Can't you see-" But Lily cut off, she had seen something there on the couch where she was. Her own body was laying there, but she was pale and she was laying with her eyes open, unblinking. Lily was confused but froze when her gaze traveled down a little. There was an immense wound in her chest. It looked like she had been stabbed to death and she 

was bleeding freely. Her Transfiguration notes were drenched in her own blood. Lily almost fainted, looking at her own dying body. James had stopped shaking Lily's dead body and he was not slumped in front of the couch, holding her hand.

"James!" Lily screamed as loud as she could, but he didn't look up. Panic was now quickly settling into Lily, had she been murdered, was she dead? Was she a ghost? She heard footsteps on both staircases and saw Katy come running out of the girls dorms and Remus and Sirius came bolting down the boys stairs.

"Lily, what happened to James?" Katy asked, her eyes wide, directing her question at Lily, not the dead body, although when Lily looked down, her dead body was gone and James was still leaning on the couch, his hand resting on nothing as he continued to shake with what must have been sobs, although he made no sound.

"I don't know…" Lily whispered. "I fell asleep and he woke me up shaking me and I sat up and he didn't notice." She gulped. "Then… I saw myself laying on the couch and I was dead. Murdered, bloody, everything was covered in my blood," Lily was starting to feel quite sick. "And James must have somehow been seeing that. But if you three can see me, then I'm not dead, am I?" Lily asked. Katy was white.

"Yes, we can see you." Sirius said cautiously. "Did you say you could see your own dead body?" He whispered, looking horrified.

"Yes, but I can't anymore. When you guys came in here, it disappeared."

"James?" Katy asked timidly and James looked up, his face streaked with tears. "James what happened?"

"I don't know." He said, still staring in horror at the empty couch. "I just had a bad feeling about something and I came down here and…" he gestured to the couch. "And she's… dead." He whispered the last word and Katy blanched.

"No she isn't, James. She's standing right there." Katy pointed at Lily who had stood up and was now next to the fireplace. "There's no one on that couch."

"What?" James asked blearily. "She's right here. Can't you see her? And the couch… and her notes… all the blood." He sounded truly terrified.

"James, I think you need to go see Madame Pomphrey again." Sirius said, coming over and pulling James off the floor. "That was no Stunner if you think Lily was murdered when she is clearly standing about five feet away from you." James shot him a questioning look. "Right here," Sirius went and stood next to Lily. "See, my shoulder is touching hers. She's right next to me." James shook his head. "You can't see her?" Sirius asked, paling. James shook his head again and Katy, Remus and Sirius all dragged James up to the Hospital Wing. Lily followed them nervously.

They got inside the Hospital Wing and Madame Pomphrey came over to them. She was wearing a dressing gown and looked as if they had woken her up.

"What can I do for you?" She asked.

"Well, that thing James got hit with, remember?" Katy started. Madame Pomphrey nodded and looked curiously at the pale and bloodshot James Potter. "Well, we're sure it wasn't a Stunner. Are you sure there wasn't anything unusual it did? Because he's convinced Lily here was murdered. Says her body is bleeding on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, but anyone can see that she's right here, and perfectly alive." Madame Pomphrey looked surprised for about ten seconds and then became very business like.

"Thank you for bringing Mr. Potter." She said briskly and pointed him into a nearby bed. "I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave, but feel free to come in and see him tomorrow." She directed the four of them out of the Hospital Wing and they went back to Gryffindor Tower.

"What do you think that was about?" Katy said, she started to sit down on the couch but got a sort of green look to her face and chose an armchair instead.

"I've never heard of a spell that makes you think someone is dead. Or at least that makes you see them dead."

"And the weirdest bit was that he was actually touching me." Lily said and the others looked at her, bewildered. "He woke me up shaking me and then he was still shaking what he must have thought was my body, but it was like he was able to touch me. Even though I wasn't really dead."

They stayed up all night, discussing what could have happened to James. None of them were at all tired and at seven in the morning, they bolted from the common room into the Hospital Wing.

"What happened to him?" Lily asked breathlessly upon finding Madame Pomphrey.

"He was hit with a Tortured Fear Charm. It acts like a Stunner which makes it hard to detect."

"But what does it do?" Lily pressed. "Why did he think I was dead? And why couldn't he see the real me?"

"It causes a person to see the things they both fear and dread the most. And it makes them blind to the obvious proof that whatever it is they fear _and_ dread is just an illusion. It is a twenty-four hour spell. Unfortunately, it is twenty-four hours of Mr. Potter being awake, so I can't make him sleep it off."

"So, James fears and dreads me being murdered?" Lily whispered and sunk down in her chair.

"It would seem so." Madame Pomphrey said and she sounded sad. "There is no known antidote because it is such an unusual spell, but it should wear off by the end of the day. It is also possible he will see the illusion again, so if at any point in the day that you choose to visit and he seems to think Miss Evans' dead body is in the bed next to his, tell me. However, Mr. Potter will be unable to see Miss Evans until the curse has completely left his system. He should be waking up any minute now." She turned toward her office but stopped and looked back at them. "I will not permit you to miss class to sit with him, however you may stay here until your classes start."

"What do we do if he asks us what funeral arrangements have been made for Lily?" Katy asked, she was staring at James looking like she was going to cry.

"Tell him they haven't been arranged yet. You can't tell someone who has been put under this curse what is going on. They won't believe you, firstly and secondly, then they will start seeing anything they have ever feared in their life. Also, if there is anything other than the murder of Miss Evans, they may 'appear' to him as well." And with that she went back into her office.

"James?" Katy asked timidly after about ten minutes. James had begun to stir.

"Lily." he said flatly as soon as his eyes managed to focus on the three people he could see. "She's… gone." Lily felt tears welling up in her eyes, knowing that now they wouldn't be able to contradict him. No one said anything, it seemed none of them were willing to say out loud 'yes Lily has been brutally stabbed to death' and Lily herself was quite glad about that.

They sat with James until Madame Pomphrey kicked them out. After their last class before lunch, Lily could see how angry Katy was at being asked to stay for a few minutes after class by McGonagall, apparently she needed to ask Katy something. Lily and Sirius ran up to the Hospital Wing after Katy said she would come in a few minutes.

They went in the Hospital Wing and stood at the foot of James' bed. He still wasn't able to see Lily, but he half smiled in a kind of groggy greeting to Sirius. Then his expression changed and he got a look of complete shock, and a little fear.

"He looks like he's seen a ghost." Lily whispered and then remembered that didn't really apply in the magical world."

"Why would that scare anyone?" Sirius gave her a look like he was fearful for her sanity and they both started laughing. Lily didn't know why, it wasn't like what either of them had said was particularly funny, but she could tell it was either laughing or crying that was happening and she infinitely preferred laughing. But she stopped laughing because she heard a gasp and saw James' face had gone from slightly surprised to contorted with a mixture of rage, raw hurt and bitter disappointment. He was staring straight at Lily and Sirius.

"Sirius Black you bloody backstabbing bastard!" he screamed. Sirius was completely taken aback, so was Lily, she didn't know why Sirius laughing would cause such an outburst. Then Lily knew, it was something else.

"Sirius, he's seeing something. He fears you betraying him or something like that. Step back, then we'll see what it is." Lily was scared; she didn't want to see Sirius betraying James. She didn't want to see Sirius on the Dark Side.

She grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him backwards and her mouth fell open in shock at what was in front of her. It was as if they had stepped out of their own bodies, but instead of this Sirius and Lily _laughing_ together, the Sirius and Lily in front of them were making out. Lily watched in horror and she and Sirius began unbuttoning each other's tops. She glanced at Sirius who was staring, with his mouth open, he looked like he was going to faint. Bad timing had Katy come in at just that minute.

"What's the problem, I heard James yell something to Sirius?" Katy asked and then saw her boyfriend and best friend going much farther than anyone wanted. "Please tell me this is a dream."

"James' nightmare, more like." Sirius said. Katy was rooted to the spot, staring transfixed at the image in front of her. "Kate?" Sirius asked timidly, walking over to her. "Katy, are you alright?" Katy's eyes were wide and she looked ready to cry. "Do you fear Lily and I hooking up behind your back too?" Lily was surprised by the question, but it made sense if you looked at Katy's eyes.

"I had… a dream where you did." She whispered. "Exactly like that." She sat down on the floor. Lily was praying it would disappear soon, she remembered that after a few minutes she had stopped being able to see her dead body and hoped soon they would be able to stop seeing her and Sirius getting hot and heavy.

"What's going on in here? I thought I heard… Oh dear… Poppy!" Professor McGonagall had come in and taken in the strange scene in front of her with surprising quickness. Lily hadn't thought about that until McGonagall came in, but upon thinking about it, she realized what it must have looked like: James was fuming on the bed, Katy was staring, white-faced from her sitting position on the floor, the real Sirius was looking helplessly at Katy, the real Lily was staring at James and the fake Lily and Sirius were getting rather close to going all the way. Something no one wanted to see.

After another excruciatingly painful five minutes, the image of Sirius and Lily disappeared. There was a sort of a collective sigh of relief and about a minute later, a howl of outrage from James. Lily was only too sure what that meant had happened and found herself unable to look Sirius in the eye. Madame Pomphrey promptly force fed James a dreamless sleep potion and he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

James had woken up again when they went to visit after classes had ended. Sirius was a bit wary of visiting, but agreed to go. Madame Pomphrey came up to them before they got to James.

"There's something you ought to know." She said, looking sadly at Sirius.

"James never wants to speak to me again?"

"He's mentioned something of the sort. However, I should warn you it is unlikely he will be able to see Sirius, rather like Lily. I think he is now blinded to anything other than the fear."

"So once he sees something with anyone in it, he can't see the real them?" Sirius asked. Madame Pomphrey nodded gravely and let them go see James.

* * *

"So what he fears and dreads most is you being murdered…" Sirius said to Lily, they were talking to each other as they couldn't very well participate in the conversation with James.

"…And you and I getting together." Lily finished.

"I think it's more of he fears you choosing his best friend over him." Sirius blushed a bit. "It did kind of look like you were… initiating it." He grinned and started laughing. Lily started giggling.

"Yeah it sort of did." She said and it was good to talk about what had happened this casual manner. It made it less awkward and embarrassing.

"Hang on," Sirius stopped laughing, he seemed quite confused. "Doesn't he think you're dead?" Lily nodded, unsure what he was getting at. "So how can you be dead and shagging me at the same time?" The grin was back but Lily could tell it was partly to keep away the awkwardness.

"Maybe the spell erases your memory of the first …vision… when the second one comes." Lily didn't know what to call them.

"We could ask Pomphrey…" Sirius said uncertainly.

"Ask Pomphrey what?" Katy turned to them.

"Who are you talking to Katy?" James frowned directly at Sirius and Lily, although he still couldn't see them.

"Myself, now ask Pomphrey what?"

"If James remembers the first 'vision', cause why would Lily be able to… you know… with me if she's been murdered?"

"Hadn't thought of that…" Katy frowned.

"Hadn't thought of what?" James asked, again, staring determinedly in the direction of Sirius and Lily. He seemed to be sure that if he looked hard enough, whoever Katy was talking to would appear.

"Madame Pomphrey?" Lily asked, knocking on her office door. She came out, and walked quickly over to James.

"Nothing new that he thinks has happened?" She asked, evidently she had been expecting a new terror of James'.

"No, we were wondering if he remembers his first… whatever they're called. Because it doesn't make sense that he thinks I've been murdered and then that Sirius and I… you know." Lily found she couldn't bring herself to say it to Madame Pomphrey.

"It is likely he has forgotten your murder." Madame Pomphrey whispered.

"Why so quiet?" Sirius asked.

"Because I don't want to remind him, I've never had to treat this before, and I don't really know if he will remember if he hears about it."

"Oh…" Sirius sat down in the chair next to James' bed. "Okay." He nodded to himself and then looked around distractedly, trying to find something to do. "So what can we do now? Of the three of us here, James can only see and hear one."

Madame Pomphrey just sniffed angrily at Sirius and left.

"So, James… how are you?" Katy bravely tried to re-strike up a conversation.

"What do you think?" He answered irritably.

"I don't really know…" Katy sounded nervous. She clearly didn't want to bring up either of the "visions" James had had. "Are you feeling better?" she squeaked.

"Fine."

"Well that's good, right?"

Suddenly, to everyone's horror, Katy started talking again. Her lips weren't moving, but her voice was loud and clear and this time everyone realized what was going on much sooner.

"James Potter you are the most cowardly, despicable, excuse for a human being I have ever laid eyes on. How could you James, how could you?" Another Katy stepped out of Katy's body, glaring at James liked she would like nothing more than to _Crucio_ him. She threw him one last withering glance and stormed from the room. Two more versions of Sirius and Lily appeared out of nowhere. Fake Lily gave James a look of pure hatred and Fake Sirius spat at him before the two of them followed Fake Katy out of the Hospital Wing.

"No! Wait, I didn't mean it!" James shouted after them. "I didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean what?" Katy asked, looking off at where the Fake version of herself had left.

"Please, come back! I don't know what I did!" James yelled again, ignoring Katy.

"Kate, I don't think he can see you anymore." Lily said softly.

"No, but… but now he… there's no one." Katy's brow creased and she gaped at James. "James?" He didn't make any sign that he had heard her. "James!" She went over and screamed in his ear and again, he made no sign of hearing her.

"Do we know what that was about?" Sirius asked, resuming his seat in the chair. "What he's afraid of that time?"

"He sure has a lot that he's afraid of." Lily sat down on the bed, wondering if James could feel the pressure of her weight on the bed. "But no, we don't. he doesn't even know, it's what he fears. He fears us deserting him."

"He fears himself." Katy said numbly.

"How do you figure that?" Lily asked, surprised.

"Did you hear what I said to him?" Katy sounded disgusted with herself. "I called him a coward. And I said 'how could you?' I said it more than once. So he's afraid he's going to turn over and help the other side. He's afraid he's going to be too cowardly to stand up to a bully and he's worried he'll become a double agent and that we will find out. He's afraid we'll find out and hate him for it, and then… do that." She pointed at the door. "Walk out on him."

They all looked up at James who seemed to be having an internal battle with himself. He seemed unsure if he was going to jump out of his bed and follow his Fake Friends out of the Hospital Wing or if he was going to stay. He kept pulling back his blankets and then covering himself again.

"Katy, let's get out of here." Sirius said quietly. "We're just torturing ourselves staying here." Katy stood still for almost a full minute before nodding slowly and joining Sirius at the door. "Coming, Jez?" Sirius asked and for the second time that day, Lily cracked a grin. Again, she found herself laughing because otherwise there would be tears. The three of them all sort of fell down the stairs, laughing like crazy, earning themselves very strange looks from everyone they passed because it isn't every day three people come tearing out of the Hospital Wing laughing.

_So what did you think? I needed to have that scene... or sequence, i don't know what you call it. i thought it was necessary to show James' insecurities because he's supposed to be mr. i-have-no-issues-at-all-and-my-life-is-perfect. or at least that seems to be how he is usually portrayed... anyway. i am not trying to be like "ooh, how ironic, lily gets murdered and he fears going to the dark side, obviously james can predict the future!" _

_also, the other two songs mentioned at the very beginning (the ones i didn't put the lyrics in for) were picked for specific purposes and they were mostly the lyrics, so i am including the lyrics just below this for anyone who doesn't know the songs because that will help you understand why they were used._

_Lily_

_**MY SENTIMENTAL FRIEND**_

_On the floor, the people dance around  
Moving close together  
But there over low in the corner  
There's the girl I once knew  
Who broke me in two.  
So won't you please play a song  
A sentimental song  
For my sentimental friend over there._

_We've been so long apart  
Make it go right to the heart  
Of my sentimental friend over there.  
Bring the tears to her eyes  
Help to make her realize  
The love we had was just beyond compare.  
And if the time is right  
Maybe I'll hold her tight  
My sentimental friend over there._

_I recall the way she used to feel  
When we heard a sad song  
The teardrops would fall  
And she'd hold me  
And tell me,  
She'd be forever with me.  
So won't you please play a song  
A sentimental song  
For my sentimental friend over there._

_We've been so long apart  
Make it go right to the heart  
Of my sentimental friend over there.  
Bring the tears to her eyes  
Help to make her realize  
The love we had was just beyond compare.  
And if the time is right  
Maybe I'll hold her tight  
My sentimental friend over there._

_Oh won't you please play a song  
A sentimental song  
For my sentimental friend over there._

_We've been so long apart  
Make it go right to the heart  
Of my sentimental friend over there.  
Bring the tears to her eyes  
Help to make her realize  
The love we had was just beyond compare.  
And if the time is right  
Maybe I'll held her tight  
My sentimental friend over there._

**_JEZEBEL_**

_If ever a devil was born  
without a pair of horns it was you  
Jezebel it was you  
if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise  
it was you  
Jezebel it was you  
if ever a devil's plan was made to torment man,  
deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue  
Jezebel it was you  
if ever a devil was born  
without a pair of horns it was you  
Jezebel it was you  
if ever a pair of eyes promised paradise  
it was you  
Jezebel it was you  
if ever a devil's plan was made to torment man,  
deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue,  
Jezebel it was you  
__Be better had I never known a lover such as you  
forsaking dreams and all  
for the sirens call of your charms  
Jezebel  
if ever a devil's plan was made to torment man  
deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue  
Jezebel it was you  
night and day  
every way  
oh Jezebel  
Jezebel  
Jezebel_


	46. Chapter 45

_well i have to say, i'm kind of nervous about this chapter... but no one dies, so that's good right? oh and i'm still not jkr or making any money off of this._

Chapter 45  
_Katy_

"Katy!" Lucie came racing up to Katy one afternoon out on the grounds after the second day of exams.

"Hey, OWL's kill you yet?" Katy asked with a grin. She stopped grinning when Lucie got up to her, she was pale and looked exhausted. "Lucie, I was kidding. Merlin, what happened to you?"

"Lily's a prefect right?" She asked. Katy nodded, perplexed. "She couldn't by any chance get the end of school postponed, could she?"

"Why on earth would you want to go to school longer?"

"Because I don't want summer to start." Lucie stated firmly. Katy gave her a questioning look. "Think about it, Kate. Last summer, you got attacked, we thought you were dead for almost a month! And the summer before, Mum really did die! I hate summer. And while it may sound superficial, I'm terrified it's going to be me. It seems like You-Know-Who is trying to pick us off, one summer at a time. So isn't it my turn?"

"Nah, if that's how it works, he'll go for me again." Katy tried to keep the mood light, but what Lucie said had struck some fear into her. "Right?" She asked uncertainly, abandoning all attempts at casualty.

"Great, so one of us is going to die this summer?" Lucie asked, glaring in the direction of the Black Lake. "Wonderful." She stormed off.

"Lucie!" Katy yelled at her retreating figure, but Lucie didn't turn around.

Katy spent the rest of the day glancing around corners, scared of her own shadow. She knew that nothing could hurt her while she was at school, it was too well protected, but she was still jumpy. She told Lily about her conversation with Lucie, but Lily didn't think it was as big of a threat.

"Katy, I don't think Death Eaters are eagerly waiting for you and Lucie to march home from school so they can do you in." She frowned. "I get why Lucie's scared, but really, it shouldn't scare you that much. Everyone's at a greater threat than usual in the summer because everyone's home."

"I know, but it seems like they really have it bad for my family." Katy wanted Lily to understand, to sympathize. "I worried about Lucie."

"But not yourself?"

"I made it once, I can do it again." Katy said firmly and Lily looked a little surprised. "Alright fine… I'm terrified I'm going to die this summer." Katy whispered, paling.

"You're not going to die." Lily glared. "You're going to grow up and marry the man of your dreams and have your whole piles of children who will adore you and love you and go to Hogwarts and you will grow old and have grandchildren and die when you are very, very old. 

"And of natural causes." Lily said with such fervor that Katy cracked a grin. That seemed to be the response Lily had been looking for.

"You too, Lily. You're going to marry the man of your dreams and have your one to three children." Katy giggled. "And die of natural causes when you are quite old." Lily smiled. "Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am, I won't die till I'm old. I promise." Lily said with mock respect.

"Glad we sorted that one out." Katy laughed and opened her book bag. "Now which of these we tackle first? Transfiguration of Defense?"

"We have to do both, we have the written for both tomorrow." Lily shrugged.

"Well, that's rubbish."

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter came into the common room, laughing at something just as they had picked up their quills to begin writing their essays. Lily turned a nice shade of pink and looked very determinedly at different part of the common room. Katy glanced over at them, but looked away without greeting them; she knew if she started a conversation with them, she would never get her essay done.

James had not taken well to learning what had happened to him. He had tried to play it cool, but it had really been quite obvious he was completely mortified when they told him exactly what he was apparently terrified of. The only one he was willing to say anything about what the murder of Lily. "I really am, she's a muggleborn, they're going after muggleborns more than anyone else. And a muggleborn Gryffindor? That's probably the worst!" He has said earnestly when enlightened of the first, and least awkward, of his fears.

"I hope you aren't rubbing off on my girlfriend, Jezebel." Sirius walked over to Katy and Lily and Katy sighed, but smiled up at him. Sirius had been calling Lily "Jezebel" ever since Katy's birthday.

"Of course not!" Lily pretended to look affronted.

"Go away." Katy grinned at him. He gave her a hurt look and she kissed him quickly. "But I'm serious. And don't make a stupid joke. But I need to do this essay and I have a feeling you would distract me."

"I? Distract you? Never!" Sirius laughed and crossed back to the other guys.

* * *

Exams ended and they piled onto the Hogwarts Express with everyone else. The ride was smooth, but Lucie was pale and terrified from the moment they got in the car. She held her breath around every turn, as if she was certain there would be a small brigade of Death Eaters waiting just around the bend for them.

The first month of summer also went by smoothly. One morning Katy was at the Potters having breakfast when three owls came swooping down to the window.

"Hogwarts letters!" Mrs. Potter called and James and Sirius, who was staying with the Potters over the summer, not having made any other plans, both came shooting down the stairs in various states of dressed.

"Oi! Mum, you could have mentioned Katy was here. And why are there three?"

"Cause I'm here. Haven't you realized Dumbledore is an all-knowing God? The letter comes to where I am." Katy grinned and opened her letter. There was nothing unusual in it. She read it quickly and then put it down.

"Can you open mine?" James asked from inside his sweatshirt. He was still attempting to fully dress himself. "I'm afraid to, it's probably got a secret Howler or something from McGonagall telling me I have rollover detention or something."

"So you stick it on me? Fine." Katy responded and opened it. Something fell out into her hand and she gasped and then burst out laughing.

"I was kidding about the rollover detention thing…" James eyed her warily.

"I think you just got pranked by Dumbledore!" Katy giggled. "No one in their right mind would be serious about that."

"About what?"

"Look." Katy held out her palm. "He made you Head Boy." James mouth fell open and stood, gaping at the Head Boy badge in Katy's hand. "He's either quite insane, pranking you, or playing the matchmaker." Katy grinned at James' confused look. "Guess who our dear Head Girl is?" James shrugged his shoulders. "Lily." Katy laughed at James' ecstatic look.

"I adore our Headmaster! I'll do anything for him, anything at all! A year with Lily!"

"You do know you aren't sharing a room with her. It's just like normal, you just have some responsibility." James scoffed. "You do have to be in charge-ish, now James."

* * *

Two weeks later, Katy was laying on the couch in the middle of the day, exhausted. She wanted to take a nap, but knew she always had crazy dreams when she did and didn't want to have one. She eventually decided she didn't care and allowed herself to fall asleep.

As soon as her eyes shut, her strange subconscious took over. The dream started off stupid, she was in the living room of her old house, drawing a hopscotch board on the floor so that she could teach a Bowtruckle how to play the game. She was interrupted in her demonstration by a knock on the door. She told the Bowtruckle she would be right back and went down the hall. The house was changing as she went through it and by the time she got to the front door, she was in her new house. She opened the door Lucie was standing there, looking different than she had ever looked in real life. She had five Death Eaters standing behind her.

"Lucie?" Katy asked, confused. Lucie didn't look at all scared to be so close to the Death Eaters. Katy's mouth fell open when Lucie turned to the Death Eaters and nodded. One of them Disapparated with a crack and the other four pushed their way into the house. Katy started screaming, but Lucie didn't pay any attention. She too pushed past Katy into the house.

"Lucie, wait! What's going on, why did you let them in here? Lucie?" Katy followed her into the living room which was now full of dead Bowtruckles. She gasped. "What happened to them?"

"They were in the way." Lucie said coldly.

"Lucie? What happened? What's going on?" Katy asked, but fell silent at the look Lucie gave her. The five Death Eaters came back just then and each one had someone in their clutches. Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter, James, Sirius and Katy's father were all prisoner to a Death Eater. "No!" Katy found her voice again. "Lucie what are you doing? Why don't you care?" Lucie just threw her a scathing look and nodded to the Death Eaters who each pulled out their wands and Katy stood there and watched as Lucie ordered the murder of the five prisoners. Katy burst into tears watching each of them be hit with that sickly green jet of light and fall to the floor. She was filled with raw fear when Lucie herself turned her wand on Katy. Katy heard Lucie say "_Avada Ke-_" before she woke up screaming.

"Katy! What's wrong?" Lucie came bolting into the room and without thinking about what she was doing, Katy pulled out her wand and Stunned Lucie. She felt satisfied for a few seconds before she realized there were no Death Eaters and no dead people in the room. The Stunner was loud enough that the Katy's father came running into the room.

"Katy! Did you… what happened here?"

"It was an accident, well sort of." Katy said quietly, her father gave her a questioning look. "I had a dream, where Lucie was on the Dark Side." Her father gasped, but nodded for her to continue. "And she brought Death Eaters to the house and had them kill you, the Potters and Sirius. And then she was about to kill me when I woke up and she was the first person I saw and I hadn't quite woken up and I panicked and Stunned her." She said in one breath.

"I see, well, there's really nothing I can do about that, I suppose." He quickly brought Lucie around.

"What was that for?" Lucie yelled as soon as she was conscious. "I was worried about you, you were screaming so I came in here to see what was wrong and you Stun me? Thanks, Katy."

The dream was quickly explained and Lucie looked horrified.

"I would never do that, Katy, you must know that."

"I do, I've never felt worried you would go over, I don't know where the dream came from." Katy tried to reassure Lucie she didn't secretly think Lucie was a Death Eater. "I just feel like it was a warning, not of you going over, just a warning. I'm with you, Lucie. I don't trust this peace."

* * *

The peace didn't last long, there was only two weeks left of summer when Katy had the dream and a few days before school was going to start, Katy's entire world was yet again shattered. This time it shattered the careful balance the wizarding world had going as it created quite a mess in the Muggle world. Katy, Lucie, James and Sirius had managed to get away from their parents for a day and had been allowed to go out into Muggle London for a day. They had gone to Diagon Alley first so that they could change their money for Muggle money.

They were strolling around a small shopping district in London, laughing together about some of the strange contraptions they saw on every Muggle street. Sirius liked the idea of a small box on a pole that ate your money allowing you to park your car. It took them a little while to realize it was just a formality and a way to get the public's money; it was perfectly possible to park without paying but you got fined. Katy's particular favorite was the red phone boxes. She had been in the one to Ministry of Magic once or twice, but she didn't actually believe that Muggles could go inside them, punch in a few numbers and talk to someone thousands of miles away.

They turned a corner and there was a man who seemed to be waiting for them. He wore a nasty smile on his face and Katy was immediately scared of him, although she had never seen him before. It took Katy a minute to process what had happened when he pulled a wand out of his back pocket and Transfigured what he was wearing into the Death Eater garb of a black cloak and black mask. Katy's face drained of all color and all four of the stopped walking at the same time.

"Having a nice summer?" the Death Eater leered at them. Muggles passing by had stopped and were watching, it wasn't everyday a person's outfit completely changed, and changed into to something as sinister looking as what the Death Eater was wearing.

"Fine thanks." Sirius said defiantly.

"Where's the other one?" the Death Eater asked suddenly. He pointed his wand at the four of them. "The other girl, you've got one with you." He growled. "Where's the older one?"

"The older who?" James asked, but Katy had an idea of who the Death Eater was looking for. apparently he hadn't been informed of her change in appearance.

"Katy Cupit, you blithering idiot!" The man shouted and pointed his wand at James. James gulped and seemed unable to move. "Well, well, well, what do you know… James Potter, Gryffindor extraordinaire, scared." The Death Eater said as if he was most shocked to be discovering such a fact.

"No!" Katy shouted.

"And who might you be? No matter, I'll deal with you later. Now," he turned to Lucie. "Where is your dear sister?"

"I'll never tell you!" Lucie screamed.

"Perhaps we can compromise. Although I suppose you can't be persuaded in the same manner as everyone else. Who knows what would happen if I _Crucioed_ you." the Death Eater said in a mocking manner of someone thinking hard. "Well, I suppose if you won't give up your sister, I will have to be satisfied with just one out of two for now. But no mistake, she'll join you soon enough." Katy gasped, horrified. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off because she was so surprised that the Death Eater didn't use the killing curse. "_Diventare demencia! _And I suppose it won't do to let it run it's true course, _Accelerar!"_ He started laughing, a merciless, humorless laugh before directing his wand at various buildings around them and causing them to begin falling to pieces. He then Disapparated with a loud crack, leaving the Muggles in the street screaming with terror and James and Sirius pulling out their own wands and attempting to stop some of the damage before it killed anyone.

All of a sudden, Ministry of Magic law enforcement wizards came hurrying around the corner. They did something to prevent the Muggles who had seen the event happen from leaving the direct area and Obliviated each and every one of them.

It was then that Katy noticed Lucie. She was sitting on the ground, with her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking back and forth, a dreamy look on her face as she hummed quietly to herself.

"Lucie?" Katy had no idea what the spell had done to her sister. Lucie just cocked her head sideway at Katy and began singing. Her voice was breathy and her eyes were wide.

"Ring around the rosy…pockets full of posy…ashes, ashes…we all fall down." Lucie sang, she sounded like a child of no more than three or four years old.

One of the Magical Law Enforcement officers came up to the two of them to see how they were.

"Please, I need to get to St. Mungo's. She was hit with something and it's made her…" Katy didn't know the right word. She glanced around and saw that there were now some Healers from St. Mungo's in the wreck and rubble.

"Do you remember the incantation?" The officer asked, looking Lucie with immense concern.

"_Diventare demencia._" Katy whispered and the officer gasped. "Then he said '_accelerar'_ and then he Disapparated and I don't know what's wrong with her. She's acting like she's three." Tears were falling thick and fast down Katy's face as she spoke.

"That spell… is an insanity spell." Katy looked up, hoping beyond hope she had heard incorrectly. "It makes the victim slowly go insane. Although if he did say '_accelerar_' than he sped up the process, explaining your sisters actions."

"He drove her insane?" Katy whispered and the officer nodded sadly. "Can it be fixed? How do I get her back? It was just a spell, so her mind is still in there somewhere, right?"

"It is an unusual spell, and there have not been a lot of victims of it, I can only think of two known victims and they both died years ago. However, neither of them were ever cured, I'm sorry." The officer said and Katy looked away from him before letting sobs escape, shaking her body and she looked at the mindless, painless Lucie in front of her.

"Lucie?" Katy asked once she had calmed down a little. Lucie stared up at her smiling blankly. As much as Katy hated to admit it to herself, there was no way you could look at Lucie and say her mind was still even remotely intact. "Lucie give me your hand." She said softly. Lucie just blinked and started laughing. Katy shuddered when she heard her sister laugh. It was just not something she could stomach, the sound was nothing like Lucie had ever made before. It was not humorless, but there was no real happiness to it. It was just a sound and it was sending shivers up her spine. Katy forced herself to stop thinking about any of what was happening and she grabbed hold of Lucie's hands and pulled her to her feet. Keeping a firm grip on Lucie, Katy searched the mess around them for James or Sirius. She located Sirius being fished out from a pile of rubble and James was sitting on the ground, one of the legs of his pants had been ripped off and a Healer was kneeling in front of his badly cut leg. Katy went toward James, pulling Lucie around behind her. They got to where James was sitting and Lucie wrenched her hand out of Katy's grip and started skipping in circles around James, Katy and the Healer, singing again in that breathy and slightly creepy voice she seemed to now have.

"Ring around the rosy…pockets full of posy…ashes, ashes…we all fall down…" She sang, skipping in continuous circles. "We all fall down, we all fall down, we all fall down, we all fall down…" She abandoned the beginning of the song, repeating the most foreboding line of the chilling children's song.

"What happened to her?" James asked, eyeing her warily.

"She's… gone." Katy said, forcing herself to keep calm. "He drove her insane." She whispered and looked determinedly away from James as he gaped at her.

Sirius was suddenly next to them. He was obviously in pain and had a whole herd of Aurors and Healers following him but he was completely ignoring them.

* * *

The rest of their time on the Muggle street went in a blur. All of a sudden, Katy was sitting in a chair next to Lucie who was fast asleep. Katy looked at her sleeping sister and realized there was nothing different to be noticed about Lucie. She still slept in exactly the same way she had before. As soon as this thought crossed Katy's mind, she was unable to hold back. Tears began pouring down her face as she let out strangled sounds of grief and her entire body was shaking relentlessly. She shook with tears and sobs for a full fifteen minutes before she realized there was a small voice repeating one word next to her.

"Ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes, ashes…" Lucie was staring, unblinking at her. Katy knew she had probably woken Lucie and wiped her face off, however new tears came streaking down her cheeks when she looked at Lucie. She looked so fragile. Like a tiny baby. There was an innocence to her that was ominous. Katy couldn't believe this was the same person as that morning. Lucie had been the one to wake everyone up, she had been the one getting everyone ready and out the door. She had been so alive, joking and laughing, and now she was a shell. An empty shell with nothing inside it.

"What happened to my daughter?" Katy heard a roar and understood that her father had been contacted and was now at St. Mungo's. "Where is my daughter?" There was a pause. "Tell me where Lucie is right now!" Another pause. "Damnit, she's my daughter, I have every right to know where she is."

Katy poked her head out of the room and saw her father yelling at the reception witch in the Permanent Spell Damage ward.

"Dad!" She called to him and he turned around, immensely relieved to see her. "Dad, she's in here."

"What happened to her?" He asked, glancing nervously at the open door and paling a little when Katy shut it.

"Dad, I have to warn you before you go in there." He lost the little color still in his face, but nodded. "She's completely gone. She won't recognize you. All she does is sing 'Ring Around the Rosy' and repeat the lines from it. She sounds different and she looks different too. Just be prepared." Her father gulped and took a few deep breaths before going in the room.

Katy followed him and was not surprised by what she saw. Lucie had scrambled out of her bed and was spinning in sickeningly tight circles, singing the only thing she seemed able to say.

"Ring around the rosy…pocket full of posy…ashes, ashes…we all fall down!" Mr. Wood took one look at his baby daughter and fell to the floor, crying his heart out. Lucie stopped spinning and stood stock still, staring, wild eyed at him and began whispering, again with what Katy noticed to be an ominous innocence. "We all fall down…we all fall down…we all fall down...we all fall down…we all fall down…"

"Dad?" Katy suddenly felt quite sick. "Dad, I need to go for a bit, is that okay?" Her father nodded and started watching as Lucie resumed singing and skipping in a circle. Katy tore from the room and rushed to the reception desk in the main lobby. After what felt like hours, she got to the front and asked the witch for where she would find James Potter and Sirius Black. After being directed to their room, Katy took off again and was delighted they were in the same room. She suspected they had manipulated the system to get that worked out, but it was good of them.

"Are you two okay?" She asked even though both of them started trying to talk.

"I'm fine, how's Lucie? These Healers won't tell us anything about her." James said quickly. Katy turned to Sirius.

"I'm fine too, Kate." He said and smiled at her. She ran over and slapped his arm. "What was that?" He frowned.

"Never get hit with a falling building again!" She screeched and she knew it sounded ridiculous, but she had to say it.

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted her and grinned. "Honest, Katy, I'm just fine. Now tell us what they're doing to fix Lucie? She seemed a bit funny…"

"Nothing." Katy took a deep breath. "They can't do anything. She's in the Permanent Spell Damage ward because she is permanently damaged. That Death Eater cursed her with an insanity spell. Apparently what it does is makes you go slowly insane but remember, he sped it up, so she's completely gone now. All she does is sing 'Ring Around the Rosy' and it's so creepy. I had to leave, I couldn't stay there or I would have _Avada Kedavra-ed_ myself."

"Don't even joke about that Katy." James said sternly.

"Sorry." Katy whispered.

* * *

By the end of the day, Katy was feeling very out of place. Her father and James' parents would start crying almost every two minutes, but after her big breakdown in the Hospital room, Katy hadn't shed a single tear. She was also causing them worry as she refused to go back into Lucie's room. Katy knew it wasn't right of her to not see her sister, but she didn't think she could bear it. She didn't want her memories of her lively sister to be at all tarnished by what Lucie had apparently turned into. She was beginning to understand how Lucie had felt about their mother's death; she didn't want anything to do with it and now, although she was a bit ashamed of it, Katy wanted nothing to do with Lucie anymore. She much preferred to sit it James' and Sirius' room, talking with them. Neither of them had seen Lucie because they had yet to be released from their beds by Mrs. Potter. The Healers had told them they could try walking around the room but Mrs. Potter had expressly forbidden it.

"So do you know why they put us on the ground floor? We weren't beat up by a cauldron." James sighed, it was the day before school was due to start for their seventh year and it didn't seem like they were in the process of checking out, a fact that thoroughly depressed James and Sirius.

"That fellow over there sure had it rough." Sirius snickered, pointing to the sleeping man two beds down the ward from them. "Somebody fixed his broomstick and it tried to gouge a hole through his right leg."

"I think it may have succeeded, Sirius. Otherwise he wouldn't need a Hospital."

"That's gotta suck."

"Mrs. Potter!" Sirius called, for she had just entered the ward. "Mrs. Potter, are we going to leave any time soon? And why can't we start walking again? The Healers said we could."

"I suppose," Mrs. Potter began, looking incredibly worried. "That you may walk around the ward, but you have to stay near someone or something you can hold onto if you fall! But it doesn't seem like you two are going to be released for another few days."

"But Hogwarts starts tomorrow!" James roared. "Mum can't you tell them to release us early?"

"James, you should know she's not going to do that. She's the one who said you two can't walk when the Healers said you could." Katy grinned at Mrs. Potter. "She'll probably make you stay an extra day when you _do_ get released."

"Absolutely not!" James said firmly. "I am out of here the minute they say I can go."

"Katy, your father asked me to take you back to your house this evening."

"Why?" Katy asked suspiciously.

"So that you can get your school trunk ready, of course. Your dad doesn't want to leave Lucie and I don't blame him at all, so we need to leave in about half an hour."

"But I'm already packed! I always pack the weekend before! I don't need to go anywhere!" Katy protested. "Besides, I don't want to go to school without them."

"I'm afraid you have no choice there. Your father was very firm in that matter, he said you are to attend school tomorrow, no exceptions." Katy knew she was defeated. She sighed and nodded. Her last half hour went zooming by and all to soon she was in her bedroom making sure she hadn't forgotten anything she needed for school the next day. Mrs. Potter woke her up at nine o'clock at they were at the station at ten thirty. Katy thanked Mrs. Potter for helping her and rushed through the barrier to Platform 9¾.

_please don't kill me... you have no idea how long i agonized over this. it kept changing back and forth from this to another version where Lucie was killed, but i decided ont his because there is more i can do with it. it is important in later chapters, i promise._

_review!_

_Lily_


	47. Chapter 46

_i won't waste your time with a long spiel here. suffice to say i am very very excited to finally have the last scene of this chapter down! :D_

Chapter 46  
_Lily_

"Katy!" Lily yelled, she had just spotted long, silky black curls flapping in the wind as their owner rushed onto the Hogwarts Express. Lily took off after Katy and found her in their usual compartment, staring off out the window, although by the looks of things, she wasn't actually seeing anything out the window. "Katy?" Lily asked quietly sitting down across from her.

"Katy you have to tell us what happened!" Mary came bursting in, in a very untactful way, through the compartment door with Aimy right behind her. "We read in the papers that there was an attack on Muggle London and it mentioned you, James, Sirius and Lucie." Lily and Aimy both nodded.

"Wait…" Lily looked around, confused. "Where are they? I didn't see James, Sirius or Lucie on the platform."

"They're at St. Mungo's." Katy said shortly. She clearly didn't want to elaborate.

"What?" Mary yelped. "Are they okay?"

"James and Sirius will be here in a few days." Katy wouldn't make eye contact with any of them. It was painfully obvious something bad had happened and she didn't want to tell them. However it was also painfully obvious that Mary hadn't quite understood that.

"What about Lucie?" She asked, frowning.

"She seemed happy enough when I saw her." Katy said, looking determinedly at the floor. Lily had a feeling this was either a blatant lie or a twist on a much harsher truth.

"What happened to her?"

"I don't really know." Again, Lily wasn't too sure she believed that. "But I know more about what happened to James and Sirius, so I can tell you that if you want to know something." All three nodded. "Sirius had part of a building fall on him, but he's okay." She added quickly at the looks of horror on all three faces around her. "And I don't know what did it to James, but he had a messed up leg, but it's pretty much better now. The Healers said they would be in school by next week."

"Katy…" Lily knew it might be unwise to ask more about Lucie, but Katy's "I'm-not-telling-you-anything-about-her" plan was really scaring Lily. "Katy, what _do_ you know about what happened to her? I'm sorry but saying she seemed happy when you last saw her is really rather creepy." Katy looked up.

"I should've known you'd never by it." Her eyes were clouding over and Lily was afraid she was going to start crying. "Lucie's gone." She said quietly.

"What?" Lily whispered, horrified, hoping she had heard wrong. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's gone. Well, technically she's probably still skipping to her little heart's content around the Permanent Spell Damage ward," Katy's voice was getting louder and she sounded bitter. "But she's gone. She's just a shell. And it's my fault!" Katy was now yelling. "I should have told them who I was. Then they would have gone after me, instead of her! It's my fault she has no nothing anymore. She's lost everything. She could have had a life, but I had to be stupid and selfish and cowardly and not give myself up!" She was standing up, yelling and she looked like she was in so much pain, Lily was surprised there were no tears, just red hot anger.

"Katy, are you okay?" Remus and Peter had just come into the compartment and were standing at the open door, looking confused and worried. "What are you talking about?" Katy glared at them and sat down in her seat.

"I think she's not too keen on talking about it anymore." Mary said, looking sadly at Katy. "We still don't know exactly what she's talking about."

"Well, have any of you seen James or Sirius? We can't find them anywhere."

"According to Katy, they're at St. Mungo's." Lily said and Remus and Peter both turned to her, looking shocked.

"Where?" Remus asked.

"St. Mungo's. You must have read about the attacks, well James and Sirius both got hurt, but nothing too bad, and they will be in school in a few days. Something happened to Lucie that's got her in Permanent Spell Damage, but we don't know it is." Mary recited quickly. Peter was wide eyed in the doorway, and Remus flopped down on the seat next to Lily.

The rest of the train ride passed in a haze of forced small talk which Katy didn't participate in. Lily was participating in the conversation with vigor because she didn't want to get thinking about what had happened. She still had no idea what had happened to Lucie, but a little voice in her brain kept saying _James was badly hurt… he could have died… you weren't there for him… you didn't even know… James was hurt and you weren't there to care._ Lily desperately needed to ignore that little voice.

* * *

There was almost no talking at the feast. Dumbledore quickly mentioned that the new Head Boy and Girl were James Potter and Lily Evans and that James was currently recovering from an injury at St. Mungo's and would be at school in a few days. Lily and Remus, who was still a prefect, led the Gryffindor first years back to Gryffindor Tower. Lily had collapsed onto her bed when there was a timid knock on the door. Aimy answered it, Lily wanted to go to bed, Mary was already in bed and Katy was staring out the window, with the same deadpan stare she had been sporting all day.

"Is Katy here?" A sixth year Gryffindor girl, Anna Roberts, one of Lucie's best friends, asked.

"Can I help you?" Lily got up and received a grateful look from Katy and walked over to the door.

"You're Head Girl, aren't you? Maybe they've told you then." Anna said hopefully. "Lucie isn't here." Lily's face fell, she did not want to tell this girl anything, she didn't hardly know anything anyway. "And her bed is gone." Lily paled, Lucie wasn't coming back? "What does that mean?"

"She isn't coming back." Katy said from the window without looking at them.

"What?" Anna stared at her. "What happened to her? Is she okay?"

"No she bloody well isn't okay. She's as good as dead and she isn't returning." Katy turned and glared at Anna.

"Dead?" Anna looked terrified and tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"No, as good as dead. She's still alive, but she isn't Lucie anymore. Okay? Happy now? You've got your answers now get out." Katy snarled and Anna fled. Katy didn't say anything for the rest of the evening. She crawled into her bed and lay there with her eyes shut tightly and Lily had a feeling she didn't get much sleep that night.

* * *

Katy continued like that for the next four days. She only spoke when she had to and she never seemed even remotely happy. Lily was still scared of her reaction as she had no idea what had happened to Lucie. Katy was considerably brighter when she got a letter from Mrs. Potter saying James and Sirius would be arriving during the morning on Saturday. Katy spent the entire morning pacing up and down in the common room.

The portrait hole opened at exactly ten forty-two and James and Sirius came through only to be attacked in a hug by Katy. She allowed them to briefly greet other people before pulling them off into their own corner. Lily knew she shouldn't eavesdrop but she couldn't help it, they had sat down near where she had been anyway and a part of her really did want to know what they were talking about.

"…can't tell you how awful it's been," Katy was saying. "No one else here knows what happened and I do not want to say it; that makes it far too final." Her voice was cracking a little, but it didn't sound like she was crying.

"Do you want us to tell people?" James asked.

"I don't want pity." Katy said firmly. "And that's all that will happen if they know. I do not want anyone to come up to me and say 'Gee Katy, terribly sorry a Death Eater drove your sister insane. That really must be rough.' I would not be able to take that." Lily gasped and all three turned to look at her. Katy's face contorted. "What are you doing, Lily? Stop it, go away, maybe this is private!" She shrieked and Lily didn't know what to do. "I thought you weren't the kind of person who listened in on other people's conversations. I guess I was wrong about you, Lily." She glared at Lily and fled from the common room out the portrait hole.

"I'll talk to her." Sirius said quickly and sprinted out of the portrait hole after Katy. That left Lily and James staring at each other awkwardly.

"I didn't mean to listen." Lily said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Katy doesn't mean that. She isn't really mad at you. Don't worry." James smiled at Lily and moved over onto the couch next to her.

"Do you mind my asking what happened? All she said is that Lucie isn't coming back and when Mary asked how Lucie was she looked at the floor and said 'she seemed happy enough when I saw her.'" Lily looked beseechingly at James and was surprised when he snorted.

"Happy enough? That's just like Katy. Well, all Lucie does is skip around and sing. She's lost her mind. A Death Eater cursed her. She's not herself anymore. She's completely insane." James sounded sadder and sadder as he talked. Lily paled at that, she now could begin to understand why Katy didn't want to talk about it.

"Oh, thank you." Lily said and she knew it was lame, but she didn't really know how to respond to that. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Top notch. Just had a bit of a scratch on my leg, Healers fixed it up just fine though." James grinned. "What about you? I'm sure you were desolate without me."

"Oh yes, I just about died." Lily said dryly.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" He asked smiling and Lily shook her head.

"Nope, last term I promised Katy I wouldn't die until I was very old."

"I guess I'll have to stick around you then." James said and Lily blushed.

"Well, we…we can't let…let Katy down." Lily faltered, the blush in her cheeks rising steadily.

"No we can't." James was very close to her now. Lily didn't really know what to do so she just turned bright, bright red and didn't say anything. "Lily-" James was cut off.

"Lily, I... oh, bad time?" Katy came up to them.

"Fine time." Lily squeaked.

"Sorry I yelled." Katy said quietly. "I didn't mean it."

"I know. Sorry I heard." Katy smiled and Lily was glad there were no hard feelings.

"So, what are you two up to?" Sirius said, his eyes dancing. The blush in Lily's cheeks had died down but flared up again.

"You know, just talking." James grinned.

"Talking?" Sirius asked. "Looked like it wouldn't stay talking for long, isn't that right, Jezebel?"

"Is that my new name then?" Lily asked, she thought it was actually quite funny, but hadn't expected him to keep it going.

"Yes, it think so." Sirius grinned. "Now is this our cue to leave?" he gestured between him and Katy who started giggling.

"You can do whatever you like, Padfoot." James said and Lily and Katy exchanged an annoyed look. "What?"

"Those names!" Lily said, exasperated. "You won't tell us what they mean! Or why you started calling each other them."

"We told you, as soon as we are out of Hogwarts, we'll tell you what the secret is." Sirius said.

"Nah, we'll figure it out by the end of the year." Katy said.

"Oh really?" James asked.

"Really, truly." Katy laughed.

"So tell us, what have you figured out by now?" Sirius sat down in on an armchair across from Lily and James.

"That you're somehow changing from being human because otherwise you still couldn't be around Remus." Lily said quickly and she noticed that James and Sirius both looked sort of impressed but quickly arranged their features into neutral expressions. "And we've read up on transformations and I think the most likely is an animagus transformation but I seriously hope you aren't stupid enough to try to become illegal animagi." They both started laughing and it took several minutes to calm them down. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. You're just funny." Sirius wiped tears of laughter off his face.

"Okay…" Lily frowned. "You are really odd, Sirius Black."

"Well, you can't have everything."

* * *

By the beginning of October, James had mostly gotten used to the idea of having to patrol the corridors and be in charge of certain things. He had fixed the schedule so that he and Lily always were paired to patrol together, something Lily didn't mind. One such evening, James and Lily turned a corner to find Remus, apparently arguing, with Sirius, Katy, Mary and Aimy. Lily had no idea what they were all doing there. All four of them were in their pajamas which added to the odd look of the scene in front of Lily and James.

"You all have to go back to the common room, it's after curfew!"

"There are too many people in there, no privacy whatsoever." Sirius frowned at Remus.

"What on earth is going on here?" Lily asked as she and James reached them.

"Sirius and Katy were just… 'finding some privacy'… and I'm telling them they have to go back to Gryffindor Tower." James snorted when Remus said "finding some privacy" and Lily started giggling. Even though it was dark, Lily could tell that Katy was blushing. "And I have no idea what Aimy and Mary are doing here."

"I told you, I wanted to talk to you." Aimy frowned.

"And I followed her, I told her we should go back to the common room so we didn't get caught but she didn't listen."

"Because I needed to talk to Remus!"

"You could talk to me tomorrow, or in the common room."

"I wanted to talk privately!"

"Then we could go outside."

"I told you we should have stayed in the common room, Aimy."

"Oi! Where do you two think you're going?" Remus called out, apparently Katy and Sirius had been trying to sneak off down the corridor, using the argument as a distraction.

"Nowhere." Katy said, grinning as they came back to the group.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," the person Lily least wanted to deal with had just come across them. Lily had forgotten Snape had patrol that night. "The 'royal family' of Gryffindor. Excuse me if I don't bow down."

"The royal family?" Katy asked, glaring at Snape.

"You all seem to think you're allowed to break rules that don't appeal to you. Clearly you must think you're as good as royalty." He sneered at the whole group of them. "I believe that's detention for Cupit, Black, Macdonald and Bennet for breaking curfew."

"I don't think so." Lily said fiercely. Snape looked a little startled; Lily thought he must not have noticed her before. "I'm Head Girl and I say they don't have to do the detention." Lily had no idea if she was allowed or able to take away detention when other prefects gave it.

"Lily, I'd have thought you had better taste than Potter." He glared at James.

"Piss off, Snape." James spat. "Now come on, you lot, you do actually have to get back to the common room." Lily threw a contemptuous glance at Snape before helping James and Remus herd the other four back to Gryffindor Tower.

"But I don't want to go back. We told you, it's not private enough in there, too many people." Sirius complained when they got around the corner from Snape.

"And we don't care what you want. I can't get you out of detention if it's a teacher who gives it next time. I don't even know if I'm allowed to get you out of detention from another prefect."

"I'm not going back to Gryffindor Tower." Sirius said firmly.

"Oh yes you are." James said.

"Fine then, but you're going to have to make me." Sirius grinned quickly before grabbing Katy and starting to very heavily kiss her. Lily had not expected that.

"You know, that's a good idea." Aimy said. "The you have to make me bit." She turned red. She then threw a triumphant look at Remus, James and Lily and sat down determinedly on the floor.

"I'm going to bed." Mary said and quickly left.

"Anyone else want to be reasonable and follow her?" James asked. Aimy shook her head Sirius stuck out his hand with a thumbs-down sign. Lily started laughing and found she couldn't stop. There was just something ridiculous about the whole situation she hadn't noticed before.

"So what do we do now?" Lily asked desperately.

"Well, we could just leave them here." Remus was also laughing. "They'd get detention, but hey, you warned them."

"Yeah, it's their own fault now."

"Whatever we do, I'd like either _that_," Lily pointed at Sirius and Katy. "To stop, or I want to go somewhere else." She giggled. "Why are you doing this, Aimy?"

"Because I want to talk to Remus. And I want to talk in private." Aimy kept glancing back and forth between Remus and Katy and Sirius, blushing like there was no tomorrow.

"Fine." Remus was clearly trying to sound upset, but it wasn't really working. "But if a teacher comes, I am not protesting when you get detention." Lily could see that Remus was actually smiling and Aimy jumped up immediately.

"Okay, that's fine!" The two of them walked off, going back and forth from being far apart to right next to each other in a brilliant display of complete awkwardness.

"So we just leave don't we?" Lily asked James.

"I guess we do, have fun you two." He smirked and pulled Lily off down the corridor.

"Why are we following Remus and Aimy?" She stopped him and he grinned sheepishly.

"Cause I want to know what's going on."

"Oh, no you don't." Lily pulled him back down the corridor and they passed Katy and Sirius again.

"Yes I do." James started pulling her back and again they passed Sirius and Katy. "You can't tell me you aren't curious."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to go stalk them." They had reached the end of the corridor and Lily seized both of James' hands and pulled as hard as she could. He remained firmly where he was. "No fair, you're stronger than me."

"Which means I will win."

"No you won't." Lily pulled again and she felt James making his weight dead, which wasn't helping at all. He got free of her grip and grabbed her hands and pulled as hard as he could. She 

imitated his tactic of making her weight dead, but unfortunately he was strong enough he could almost drag her and it took all of her strength to keep stationary.

"Come on Lily, it would be fun."

"It would be creepy." She pulled one last time, as hard as she possible could and all of sudden James stopped trying to resist being pulled and she was just aware of him rocketing towards her before she realized they were making out. This surprised her greatly but she didn't try to stop it. James was stepping backward and she was walking with him and then they both turned and Lily found herself pressed up against the wall. They stayed like that for a while and were eventually interrupted by a wolf-whistle. Lily looked wildly around and finally located the source. Sirius and Katy were standing not twenty feet away from them and Lily realized her and James' pulling fight had gotten them very close to Sirius and Katy without either of them noticing.

"Well this has been quite the evening." Sirius was grinning at them. "First you try to get us to stop doing that, then you start a pulling each other dance and then you go for it." He laughed. "I didn't think you'd snog on patrol, Lily." Lily was bright red by this point and James was a bit red too. Katy was giggling as she looked back and forth between Lily and James.

"So are you two going out then?" Katy asked and Lily got even more embarrassed and she and James both sort of shuffled on the spot and didn't look at each other. "I'm going to assume that means no."

"She really is a Jezebel. I wouldn't have thought Lily Evans would do that without first being official." Sirius grinned at Lily who glared at him. "I think we'll just get going. I'm really quite exhausted." He grinned at Katy who blushed but allowed him to grab her hand and pull her away to Gryffindor Tower. They got around the corner and Lily heard both of them burst out laughing.

"So…" Lily said awkwardly and James raised his eyebrows at her, obviously wondering why she had just made an awkward situation worse. Then he grinned at her and took a few steps back. Messing up his hair he smirked at her.

"Go out with me, Evans?" He grinned and Lily was pretty sure he had gone mad. "Come on, one date?"

"Old habits die hard?" She giggled.

"Absolutely."

"James Potter you arrogant toerag." She smiled before running the short distance between them and kissing him full on the mouth.

"So that's a yes then?" He laughed.

"Only if it doesn't continue to inflate that overly large ego of yours."

"I'll have a little chat with the ego."

"You do that."

He kissed her once and the two of them spent the rest of their patrol hand in hand.

_yayayayayayayyay! i am so glad to finally have the two of them together. and if you are wondering why their getting together wasn't really romantic or anything, i just don't see James as the worlds biggest romantic and so he would be someone to use humor in a place like this. please tell me what you think about it!_

_Lily_


	48. Chapter 47

_sorry that took a few days i think... haha i don't remember what day i last updated. anywho, i'm still not JKR but i will certainly let you know if i ever turn into her. :P_

Chapter 47  
_Katy_

News that James Potter had finally gotten Lily Evans to agree to go out with him spread through Hogwarts like wild fire. There were quite a few people who didn't believe it and three weeks into the two of them dating, people were still coming up to Katy asking if it was true, or just some stupid rumor James was spreading.

The first Hogsmeade visit was the second weekend of November and Katy was quite looking forward to it. The previous week, some reporter had managed to fish up what happened that day in London and did a piece about its terrible affects and proclaimed to the world what had happened to Lucie Cupit. The next day the _Daily Prophet _had an article about how they thought the Ministry should station some Aurors around Katy's house and in Hogsmeade to keep an eye on Katy. It stated, "_Death Eaters are clearly targeting the Cupit family, no other one family has been so completely sought after, and the Ministry would be wise to take full precautionary measures to protect the last remaining member of this ancient Wizarding family_."

"But Lucie's still alive!" Katy had protested when she read the article. The rest of the week had been spent dodging people who were trying to express their sympathy and pain for Katy's situation. All in all, Katy had never been gladder to leave Hogwarts castle.

"So if we go with you, Sirius, Lily and James, will that be like awkward extra people on a double date? Or is it a triple date? Are you still cool with everyone?" Mary asked.

"I think the whole 'extra wheel' concept is eliminated when there are four extra wheels."

"Only two!" Aimy beamed around at them.

"True, but when it gets down to two, then doesn't that make Peter and I extra wheels?" Mary frowned.

"Maybe according to the dictionary, but we can't exactly banish you from the Three Broomsticks." Katy grinned.

"True, so when are we meeting them? Aren't we supposed to leave in a few minutes?" Mary looked around.

"They should be here any minute." Aimy looked at her watch.

"Where's Lily?" Mary asked.

"With James, they're always together now." Aimy giggled.

"Well," Katy smiled. "It certainly took them long enough."

"Amen." Mary laughed out loud. "Speak of the devil." She grinned, pointing toward the corridor from Gryffindor tower. Lily and James were hand in hand and the other boys were right beside them. "Ready to go?" Everyone nodded and six out of eight the people paired off and they began the walk down to Hogsmeade.

* * *

About halfway down the road, it started raining. They were all immediately soaked through and Butterbeer had never sounded so good to Katy in her life. They stomped into the Three Broomsticks and all quickly dried themselves with their wands. They located the tables in the back that they usually dominated and sat down before, as usual, electing Katy and James to get drinks.

"Eight Butterbeers, please." Katy asked as she and James stood at the bar. Madame Rosmerta smiled at them and got out their drinks. Katy and James each grabbed two in each hand and went back to the table.

They sat in the pub for most of the morning, and it finally stopped raining at half past eleven so they trooped outside to walk around a bit.

"Wait, stop." Lily ordered all of them before taking out her wand. "_Impervious._" She said, pointing her wand at each pair of shoes as she repeated the spell. "Now you won't get wet and muddy." She explained when everyone gave her a confused look.

Katy wasn't quite sure how it had ended up that way, but almost every Hogsmeade visit somehow got them in front of the Shrieking Shack. Not that they paid the building any attention, they just always seemed to wander over to the area nearby. It started raining again, but this time James conjured up a tent like shelter and they all sat beneath it.

They went back to the Three Broomsticks during the afternoon and spent the rest of the day there.

"Anyone have any idea what Slughorn was going on about yesterday?" Katy asked, mostly directing her question at Lily who seemed to be a bottomless pit of Potions answers.

"He was talking about the various theories and knowledge that you need to have an understanding of to be at all adept in Potions." Lily grinned. "Apparently you aren't."

"And you're just figuring this out?" Sirius said and Katy slapped him on the arm.

"Well, I got a bit of a clue when Katy never had any idea what to do and needed my help rather a lot of the time." Lily started laughing.

"Everyone hates me!" Katy said in mock horror. Everyone started walking up but then James and Sirius announced they had a few things they'd forgotten to purchase and rushed back into the village.

* * *

"What do I do, what do I do?" Katy was pacing back and forth in the common room. She had just received a letter from her father asking what her Christmas plans were.

"What do you mean? Aren't you going home?"

"No!" Katy said fiercely. "Lily, I just can't. I know Dad is going to want to visit Lucie and I just can't do that. I'd like to see my dad, but Christmas just won't be Christmas if it's just the two of us. I don't want to go home, but I don't know how to put that in words. What are you doing?"

"I'm staying." Lily frowned. "My sister's bringing her boyfriend home and let me tell you, he's a piece of work, that one. No idea what Petunia sees in him. She brought him home with her a couple of times this summer. Apparently he works at the same company. He's due to be promoted anytime now, head of the company and Petunia thinks he's just the greatest thing in the world."

"What does your sister do?" Katy hadn't ever picked out Petunia Evans as the type who would want to work.

"She's a secretary for one of the heads at the company, not her boyfriends secretary, but someone's. She decided she didn't want to live at home so she got a little flat with a couple of friends and decided to work until she gets married at which point she will live her dream life: a housewife." Lily snorted.

"I guess that's not what you want, huh?"

"Not at all. I want to work, do something good with my life. I'm thinking I'd enjoy being a Healer."

"You'd be good at that. I don't really know what I want to do." Katy frowned. "I want to fight You-Know-Who. But after he's gone? No idea."

"After he's gone." Lily was smiling like she was remembering something pleasant from the past. "That will be a truly wonderful day."

Katy mailed her letter requesting to be able to stay over the holidays and spent the next two days completely nervous that she would not be allowed to. When she got the letter saying that while her father was very disappointed he was willing to respect her wishes and let her stay, she was ecstatic. Mrs. Potter told James under no circumstance was he allowed to stay at Hogwarts and so he and Sirius packed up their things and got on the train with almost the entire school. Katy and Lily had the entire Gryffindor girls' dorm to themselves, there were two second year boys and one third year boy staying but with the war going on, most parents wanted their children home as much as possible.

* * *

"Miss us?" Sirius asked with a grin when they got back to Hogwarts.

"Not too much, no." Katy smirked at him.

"Lily, I don't know how I made it two weeks without seeing you." He pointedly ignored Katy and went over to hug Lily.

"Prat." Katy glared.

"Happy Christmas to you too, Katycakes." He turned to her and kissed her.

"Alright, lovebirds," Mary laughed, Katy pulled back and saw that Lily and James had had a similar greeting. "Let's get back to the common room before you four get a bit too much for the younger students to handle."

"You're just jealous." Lily giggled.

"Of having one of them as my boyfriend? Surely you don't mean that?" Mary asked sarcastically.

"Glad to know you think so highly of us, Mary." James snorted. They all went back to the common room and shared stories of their Christmases.

* * *

"Mr. Potter, would you care to offer to the class one of the Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Laws of Elemental Transfiguration?" Professor McGonagall interrupted a whispered conversation between James and Sirius during Transfiguration two weeks into January. Katy rolled her eyes at James' look of feigned innocence. "Perhaps Mr. Black would care to add one as well?"

"Oh… yes Professor, alright." James faltered, gathering himself and processing what he was being asked to do. "Money. You can't create money."

"Correct Mr. Potter, five points to Gryffindor." There was a pause. "Well, Mr. Black, what is another one?"

"Food." Sirius said frowning.

"Another five to Gryffindor. Mr. Lupin?" Katy briefly wondered why McGonagall was ignoring the rest of the class, many of whom had their hands up.

"Information."

"Very good. That's another five." McGonagall turned, Lily's hand was up and she nodded to her.

"Life. You can't bring anyone back who's dead."

"Five to Miss Evans, now Miss Cupit, perhaps you'd like to share the last one?"

"Yes Professor," Katy grinned. "You can't create love."

_(A/N: I got the five laws of Wikipedia, that's what JKR said they were. Sorry if it seems incredibly cliché about who said which one… _:D_)_

"And would you care to elaborate on that. Or perhaps on the only thing remotely close to an exception."

"Alright." Katy thought for a minute, trying to decide how to best describe what the Cupit family could do. "The Cupit family, me. But it's not really creating love. We can't point a wand at someone and say a spell and they are madly in love with whoever we wish. That's just a stupid myth. Anyway, it's more of helping feelings be realized. Like we can help a person see a different person in a new way. That's why people think we make love. Because we can…" Katy needed an example, she grinned at Sirius. "Let's say Sirius here lives a hundred years ago. And say… so does Mary." Mary raised her eyebrows at Katy who smiled but kept going. "And say that they don't really like each other but they are getting married. If I lived around there, their parents would likely have me come and help them see the other one in a different way and help along their ability to fall in love. Cupits can't force love; they can just help it be realized." Katy shrugged, she wasn't sure if she had explained it very well.

"Very good." McGonagall nodded, apparently Katy's explanation had been sufficient. "Ten points to Gryffindor."

"That's how my grandparents fell in love." Said a Hufflepuff girl called Clare Dodge. "They were among the last to do so. It was 1910 when they got married, so arranged marriages were getting a lot less common, but they had one."

"Clare, I'm sure every single one of us has a family member who had a Cupit Marriage at some point." Ben Edgecomb, another Hufflepuff, said grinning at her.

"Not necessarily, Mr. Edgecomb. It is likely that it is only those who are descended from old Wizarding families who can claim to be descended from a Cupit Marriage." McGonagall said. Edgecomb looked sort of embarrassed. "Now can anyone tell me which two of the others have exception-like conditions?" Both Lily and Remus put their hands in the air. "Mr. Lupin, let's start with you. Why don't you give me one of them and Miss Evans can supply the other."

"Right, well, food is one. You can create more of what food you already have, and you can Summon food if you know where it is. But you can't create it."

"Five points to Gryffindor. Miss Evans, the other?"

"Life, you can do certain things to extend life beyond when you would naturally die, but you can't reverse death once it has happened."

"That's another five to Gryffindor. Give me one example of how you can extend life, let's see… Miss Davis." McGonagall turned to where the Hufflepuffs were sitting. Melissa Davis frowned, thinking hard for a minute.

"The Philosopher's Stone." She smiled. "It creates the Elixir of Life and you will keep living as long as you keep drinking the Elixir, but you have to continue drinking it or you will die."

"Very good, ten points for Hufflepuff. Miss Crowley, can you add anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"The only known creator of it is Nicholas Flamel." Megan Crowley said and screwed up her face in concentrations. "He's something like… 650, right?"

"652 actually, but yes that is correct; another ten to Hufflepuff." McGonagall nodded approvingly. Megan beamed at her fellow housemates.

_(time for a bit of notes! Katy, _**Sirius**_)_

**You reckon that's McGonagall's way of favoring her own students?**

_What are you talking about Sirius? And she won't like us at all if you keep passing notes._

**Well, we've just gotten 40 points and Hufflepuff's only gotten 20.**

_That can't be cause we answered the questions?_

**True, but we'd already gotten thirty of our points before Hufflepuff got any.**

_Well, she's looking over here and she'll probably take points away for this, especially this conversation so put it away._

Katy shoved the note to Sirius and was relieved that he stuffed it in his bag.

* * *

"Come with me, you two." McGonagall came hurrying up to James, Sirius, Katy and Lily one afternoon. They had been in the library, wishing the weather would clear up a bit, it was February and there was still snow on the ground. McGonagall did not look pleased. "Miss Evans, Miss Cupit, why don't you accompany us as well." James and Sirius exchanged a look that clearly told Katy they had done something. She wasn't sure why she and Lily were being included in the whole thing, but followed without protest.

Katy was surprised when they were led into the staff room. There wasn't much to see in it, a long table, presumably for meetings, a couple of couches and there was a silver tea service in the direction they were walking. Professors Dumbledore, Slughorn and Flitwick were all in the room distributed around the table and couches. Katy was still more confused when they stopped in front of the tea.

"Care to explain?" McGonagall asked sharply.

"Looks like a normal tea set to me." Sirius said brightly.

"Well then, would you care for a cup?" McGonagall asked, glaring intently at James and Sirius.

"No… no thanks, I'm not really in the mood." James said much too quickly.

"Yeah, me too. Not so big on tea, myself." Sirius echoed.

"Miss Evans? Miss Cupit? Would either of you care for a cup?" McGonagall began pouring two cups of tea. Katy did not want to drink it. She had a feeling James and Sirius had altered it and that did not make her keen to try it.

"No, Katy doesn't like tea." Sirius said loudly.

"Yeah, Lily's weird… she only likes very obscure kinds of tea and it has to be iced tea and iced tea isn't exactly good during the winter. She doesn't drink tea in the winter." James said and Lily looked at him like he was mental. Which, Katy had long ago decided, he was.

"Then I must have my eyes checked, I was sure I had seen Miss Evans drinking a cup of tea at breakfast this morning." McGonagall turned to Lily. "Weren't you?"

"Yes I was." Lily said quietly. Katy glanced at the other professors who were all watching the scene in front of them with obvious enjoyment.

"Well then, have a cup. Unless of course there is something wrong with it." McGonagall turned back to James and Sirius, neither of whom said anything.

"Oh... okay." Lily looked a little alarmed but took the cup that she was given. Katy was also presented with one. She and Lily exchanged a nervous glance and Katy brought the cup to her lips.

"Ouch!" She yelled.

"It bit me!" Lily screeched.

"My, my, did it really?" McGonagall asked dryly.

"You couldn't have just admitted it?" Katy asked, glaring at the two boys while rubbing her lip, it seemed to be bleeding a little. Lily was doing the same. Her lip had swollen up.

"Well, it didn't seem like any of them had been affected by it." Sirius said lamely.

"No I think you'll find we have." Dumbledore came over. "However, Madame Pomphrey happened to be here at the time and knew how to help us overcome our injury." His eyes were twinkling, he clearly appreciated the humor of it. Katy couldn't say she found it very funny just then.

"Well you don't happen to remember it?" Lily asked. Dumbledore smiled and waved his wand and Katy lip immediately healed. Lily smiled at the swelling in her lip was completely gone. "Thank you, sir."

"Not at all, Miss Evans."

"Now that we have established it was certainly Black and Potter, may I ask how you managed to make all of the teacups in the staff room bite whoever tried to drink from them?" Slughorn came over, chuckling merrily. James and Sirius exchanged a look and James shrugged at Sirius who nodded.

"It was easy," James grinned. McGonagall looked a little affronted. "We just bought loads of biting tea cups at Zonko's on our last Hogsmeade visit and took them to the kitchen and told the house elves down there we had been sent to deliver the new cups to be used in the staff room and they were exceptionally pleased and quickly replaced them on the tea tray and sent it up here when it was time."

"Ingenious." Dumbledore smiled. "Minerva, I believe you decide what happens now."

"One week of detention in my office. Evans and Cupit, I'm sorry for the part you had to play in that."

Katy grinned and Lily shrugged, following James and Sirius out of the staff room.

"You prats!" Lily glared at them the minute the door shut. "You gave the teachers biting tea cups? That's the worst idea I've ever heard of!" She slapped James' arm and then started laughing. "Well, maybe not the worst. That second year water fountain prank was possibly the biggest flop in the entire history of the world."

"Hey! That took a lot of planning." Sirius tried to protest, but he too was laughing.

"Maybe, but the execution was rubbish." Katy was laughing too.

"Might I ask why you are all still here?" McGonagall had come out of the staffroom and was looking at them in a disapproving sort of way.

"Just enjoying the view." James said, waving vaguely around them. McGonagall's mouth seemed to twitch for the smallest second and then she turned and swept away down the corridor.

"James! There aren't any windows nearby. That's the stupidest alibi I have ever heard." Katy shook her head sadly. "One would think you'd get cleverer as you aged, but apparently that doesn't apply to you two." She giggled. "Now let's get out of here before McGonagall gets back and James tries to tell her some other completely absurd reason for us being here."

_so i would really appreciate some reviews as i am seriously starting to wonder if anyone is reading this... if people don't really care about it, i won't try to work hard to finish it before i leave for a year. but if even a few people really like it and want it to keep being worked on, just be like "hi i read this and would like it to be finished before you leave" i will do my best to get it done._

_Lily_


	49. Chapter 48

_sorry it took me a few days to get this up, been busy! but i promise i am working on the next chapter as soon as i post this one!_

_Thank you thank you to: CindyLueWho, loverofbooks20, t , wolfygirl58 and LyLMystikeLf for reviewing! you definately made me want to keep working my little butt off on this! and a big, extra special, throwing a party thank you to wolfygirl58! your review made my day! i love it when people tell me how certain things made them feel! and ask questions! that is my favorite, so let's see if i can answer any of them, shall we?_

_wolfygirl58: i am afriad i am not at liberty to divulge lucie's fate, however i will say it made me incredibly sad what happened to her as well. and yes that nursrey rhyme is TERRIFYING. it always scared me when i was little. for the notes idea... i think i am just going to be making them do less notes that involve everyone, just have it be two or three, possible four, but not very often, so there won't be as many people to keep track of and perhaps i will have them address each other more often. is that cool?_

_LyLMystikeLf: i am not sure about the whole cupid being eros thing... maybe i will look it up._

_and now... onto the chapter!_

Chapter 48  
_Lily_

It was raining and that didn't agree with Lily at all. She wanted to go outside, but it was not at all pleasant.

"Lily, stop pacing. This is what March always does. It's gross and wet and gray and by the middle of April it will have cleared up." Katy raised her eyebrows. "Haven't you got anything you can do?"

"No, I finished all my homework."

"Then help me." Katy grinned. "Please?" Lily sighed.

"What is it?"

"I've got no idea what McGonagall wants us to do. It didn't seem like she ever stated just what the essay was about."

"You pick an advanced form of Transfiguration that you are interested in and research it."

"Oh well, that's easy." Katy grinned. "We can figure out once and for all what those dolts are up to. I'll write my essay on animagi." Lily laughed.

"That's perfect!" Lily wished she had thought of that. "I'll help, I just know that's what they're doing."

"So ask." Katy grinned.

"…animagi, that's what I'm doing. No research necessary." Sirius was saying as he, James and Remus came into the common room.

"Ha!" Lily whispered to Katy. "Maybe they'll say it."

"Do you realize how careful you're going to have to be?" James asked, whispering nervously.

"Nah, if it's really in depth I'll just get an O and everyone will be happy."

"Not everyone." Remus said and, to Lily's horror, pointed at Lily and Katy. "Wait to blow our cover."

"You idiots! Do you realize how dangerous that is? How completely terrible it could've gone? You could have killed yourselves!" Lily yelled.

"No, they couldn't have." Katy whispered.

"Fine, but you could have been seriously injured. You could get arrested! You're going to tell someone right? The Ministry, right?"

"Lily, keep it down!" Sirius yelled, glancing nervously around the common room where every single person was doing their best to pretend they hadn't just heard that, but Lily knew that the fact that she had just accused three Gryffindors of doing something illegal would not pass by soon.

"Come upstairs." Remus frowned but all five of them trooped up the stairs to the boys dormitory. Remus quickly put a silencing spell on the door so that no one could hear through the door. "You're a genius, Sirius. You know there's only another four months of school and you had to give it away?"

"You lot better explain this. Lily looks ready to kill someone." Katy giggled.

"Well, you two've already figured it out, haven't you?" James said. "You pretty much told me the answer last year. We wanted to help Remus so we go with him at the full moon in our animagus forms."

"That's not an excuse to break the law." Lily said sternly from the corner she had gone into.

"Relax, Jezebel, there were no problems." Lily's mouth twitched, but she forced it back into a frown.

"So that's what the nicknames are, then?" Katy asked, Lily jumped up, she had forgotten about the nicknames.

"Yeah." Sirius grinned. "But you have to guess if you want to know them."

"Moony, cause of the werewolf thing." Katy said quickly, pointing at Remus and they all nodded. "Padfoot, Prongs and Wormtail." They nodded. "Padfoot, that's either canine or feline and Sirius doesn't strike me as a very feline sort of person, so you're some animal in the dog family. Right?" Sirius nodded.

"'Prongs' makes no sense at all." Lily glared at James who smiled angelically back at her. "And Wormtail… so something with a wormy tail? What has a wormy tail? I highly doubt Peter can turn into a worm as you would likely lose him, but I can't think of anything else." Lily sat down on the nearest bed. Katy was already sitting on one, frowning at the floor in thought. "Why do you have to be so mysterious?"

"To annoy you." Sirius grinned.

"Always the charmer, Sirius Black." Lily giggled. "And back to you, you never really answered. What are you? We figured out what sort of animal you are, now you get to tell us the specific."

"Not fair!" Sirius protested. "By that logic, you could say that just because you know that James' has antlers you deserve to know exactly what he is!"

"Sirius!" James yelled, but if was far too late.

"Thank you Sirius, that was most helpful." Katy beamed at Sirius who looked quite angry with himself. "Alright, antlers, that makes him some sort of deer-like animal. But not a deer, exactly, I don't think James would be okay with having the female form of an animal for his animagus, and I doubt it would be that anyway. I'm sure animagi stay the same gender as the person."

"Alright, so Sirius you have to tell us what exactly you are and James we know you a male form of something in the deer family. Cough up the answers." Lily grinned sweetly at them.

"What? That's hardly sufficient." James frowned.

"Come on, Sirius, what's your form?" Katy had stood up taken hold of Sirius' hands and was smiling sweetly up at him, swinging their hands back and forth.

"Nice try. As I believe I have told you on this subject before, I am not so easily bought."

"Really?" Katy smiled and stepped closer to him and cupped his face in her hands. She grinned and kissed him. After a rather long kiss that was very awkward for everyone else in the room, Katy pulled back. "How close am I?"

"You're getting there." Sirius smirked at her. She giggled and started kissing him again. Lily, James and Remus were all just standing there, looking at anywhere but each other. Lily didn't know quite what to do in that situation. "Dog," Sirius pointed to himself when he and Katy finally broke apart. "Stag," He pointed at James who glared at him. "And Peter's a rat."

"Sirius! You have no will power." James shouted.

"Nope." Sirius grinned. "I think it was pretty much worth it." He smirked again and Katy turned bright red.

"Thanks for the answers!" Katy grinned and pulled Lily out of the dormitory.

"That was low, Katy Cupit!" Sirius shouted after them. "You aren't even staying?"

"That makes sense then!" Lily said excitedly. "The 'Wormtail' name. A rat does have a sort of very gross looking tail. It does look sort of like a worm, doesn't it?"

"Peter's a rat?" Katy asked, looking a little pale, when they got back to their own dorm.

"Yeah, didn't you hear Sirius?" Katy shook her head. "What's the matter?" Lily was confused, Katy was pale and seemed truly terrified.

"Rats really creep me out. They're just so…scary looking." Katy frowned.

* * *

Lily heard Katy mentioning this fear of rats to Sirius and decided that had probably not been wise, James and Sirius were still joking about getting back at Katy for her method of extracting answers out of Sirius. However, when nothing had happened for two weeks, Lily forgot about it.

"Let's go outside!" Lily yelled one weekend in early April.

"Lily, it's wet and dreary out there. Why would we go outside?" Katy frowned at her.

"Because we can! It's not too cold anymore and we can go outside."

"I'll stay in here. You just tootle on out there and tell me how it is when you get back inside, okay?" Lily frowned at Katy but decided to go outside for a few minutes anyway.

However, when Lily walked back into the common room, she, and everyone else, was thoroughly concerned by a loud scream coming from the direction of the boys' dormitory. Lily quickly looked around the common room. James, Remus, Mary and Aimy were all there. Mary and Aimy looked startled and rather concerned but James and Remus seemed supremely uninterested.

"James Potter what did you lot do?" Lily frowned, grabbing James' arm and pulling him to his feet. "And where is Katy? She was here ten minutes ago."

"She went upstairs with Sirius." James grinned mischievously. "I decided not to make it my personal business to know what exactly they were up to."

"James." Lily said in a warning tone. "Why don't I believe you?"

"No idea, darling." He smirked at her. "Why don't you believe me? Trust is essential in a relationship."

"Because you didn't even jump when someone up there screamed. You know it was coming. And if trust is important, then trust that I will hex you bad if you don't tell me what exactly is going on!" There was a breakout of laughter at this. However it was cut off by Katy coming running down the stairs, looking terrified. She caught sight of James and came sprinting over, punching every bit of him she could reach.

"Ouch! Katy, what are you doing? Have you gone mental?" He grabbed hold of her arms and held her back so she couldn't reach him.

"What happened to you?" Mary asked, coming over.

"They… Peter… I mean!" Katy broke off, aware at how close she had come to giving away the secret. "A rat… on the bed, James Potter I hate you!" She broke free of his grasp and pulled out her wand. James grinned and calmly cast a Shield Charm around himself. Sirius chose just that moment to appear at the foot of the stairs.

"Kate, I..." He grinned at her, but broke off at the look on her face.

"No!" She yelled. She then whispered something that started with an "l" and fumed up the stairs. Sirius was clutching his mouth and looking horrified.

"What did she do to you?" James asked, alarmed. Sirius glared daggers at James and pointed to him mouth. "_Finite incantatem._" James said and Sirius relaxed.

"Merlin, she's kinda scary sometimes." Sirius was looking warily off in the direction of the girls dorms.

"What did she do to you?" James asked again.

"I don't know… my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth." Sirius frowned and Lily remembered something that made her blood boil. She had mentioned that spell to Katy, however, at the time she had thought it was quite funny.

"Snape made it up." She said through gritted teeth. "Fifth year, he showed it to me and I may have told her about it."

"So I have Snivellus to thank for that?" Sirius glared and Lily nodded meekly. "Terrific."

"So what exactly did she jinx you for?" Lily asked.

"Oh, well, P- there was a rat in our dorm room and I guess it scared her." Sirius shrugged and then cracked a grin. "Can't think how it got there."

"You guys are mean." Lily shook her head.

* * *

Lily had never realized how quiet the corridors of Hogwarts were at night. She had hardly ever patrolled on her own before. Fifth year she had patrolled with Snape most of the time, but sometimes she walked with Remus and there were a few occasions that Katy snuck out with her. Sixth year she had always either walked with Remus or someone else she had been paired with. Seventh year James had fixed it so they were always paired together and when their patrol happened to coincide with the full moon, Lily was alone.

One such evening, Lily walked out of the common room with James and Sirius, deciding to just ignore the fact that as Head Girl it was not wise to let three students leave the castle. Peter had been in detention that evening and they were meeting him somewhere to go out to the Shrieking Shack. Lily parted ways with them soon after leaving the common room and began her patrol. The first few minutes were uneventful until she heard a distinct hiss and what sounded like a chase between a cat and something smaller. It sounded like it was nearby her and she turned the corner to see Mrs. Norris chasing a rat down the corridor. Filch suddenly wheezed around the corner. He saw her and was just about to reprimand her when he seemed to remember she was Head Girl. Besides, the rat had disappeared when it reached a dark corner in the hallway. Completely gone, it seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth. Not two seconds later, Mrs. Norris also vanished. Filch let out an angry howl and then there was an angry meow, some exclamations of pain, a few hisses and Mrs. Norris was suddenly partially visible again. There was something obscuring her back half, but there were two new people in the hallway.

Lily rolled her eyes when she saw James and Sirius standing there, they had apparently not realized they were no longer concealed. There was a rat on James' shoulder and Lily suddenly understood. James and Sirius were looking intently at a piece of parchment and Lily was sure it was their enchanted map of Hogwarts.

"Potter and Black." Filch snarled at them. "We've got you at last, haven't we?" They looked up and were horrified to see Filch glaring out of the darkness at them. James' eyes darted downwards and in one quick motion he managed to grab the invisibility cloak off the floor and hand it to Sirius who quickly stuffed it away. "What's that paper then?" Filch pointed at the Marauder's Map. James gaped at Filch before quickly whispering something to do with "mischief" and tapping it with his wand.

"Nothing, see, it's blank." He proudly displayed the blank piece of parchment.

"I'll have it then, as it seems worthless." Filch snatched the parchment out of James' horrified hands. James and Sirius both stood there with their mouths opening and closing for a moment. 

There was nothing they could do, if they asked for the map back, it would be obvious that it had some value and then there would be no way Filch would give it to them. Sirius let out a hiss of anger when Filch crumpled the parchment and grabbed hold of one arm of each of them. He started pulling them down the corridor, then stopped partway down. "Evans!" He turned back in Lily's direction. James and Sirius both scowled into the darkness. "You can escort one of them." Lily didn't dare refuse and so crept forward only to have James pushed onto her. She blushed deeply and grabbed hold of his hand. He grinned and she quickly let go, glancing at Filch, who fortunately hadn't noticed but decided to hold onto James' arm instead.

"Wh…where are we going, Mr. Filch?" Lily asked timidly.

"I'm taking them to McGonagall, she's head of their house isn't she?" Lily felt James tense up.

"Can't you stop this?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"You do know that you have as much authority as I do. You're Head Boy." Lily giggled and it echoed eerily in the corridor and earned her a glare from Filch.

Filch knocked loudly on the door to McGonagall's office and Sirius quickly stuffed Peter the rat in his pocket. After a few minutes, the door opened and a very displeased Professor McGonagall was standing there in her dressing gown.

"What's this, Mr. Filch?" She asked, frowning at James and Sirius. "Mr. Black! What do you think you're doing?" Sirius had been attempting to get the Marauder's Map out of Filch's back pocket without anyone noticing.

"Oh, you know…just stretching." Sirius flashed her a grin which was most certainly not returned.

"Well I do like my Quidditch players to be in good condition, but they usually do not come show me the fact that they stretch at eleven thirty at night. What exactly are you doing here?"

"They were sneaking around the school, Professor." Filch said, glaring fiercely at the two of them. "And you're the head of house, aren't you?"

"Yes, thank you Mr. Filch, I can handle it from here." McGonagall noticed Lily for the first time. "Miss Evans, what are you doing here?"

"I was just in the area and Mr. Filch asked me to help him bring James and Sirius here." Lily said quietly.

"Thank you for your assistance Miss Evans. Black and Potter you will kindly come to my office tomorrow evening directly after dinner and we will discuss your punishment, I am far too tired to deal with the two of you now. Miss Evans if you would escort them back to Gryffindor tower."

"Yes, Professor." Lily didn't dare look McGonagall in the eye. She knew there was no chance that James and Sirius would allow themselves to go back to their dorms. They got around the corner and finally, Sirius put Peter on the ground and he turned back into himself.

"That was close." He whispered, looking back over their shoulders.

"Yeah, and now we lost the map." James glared at the corridor at large. "But at least he didn't take the cloak."

"Lily, you know we aren't going back to Gryffindor tower, right?"

"I guessed I would run into some opposition."

"Lovely, then we shall part ways here and I hope you have a lovely evening." Sirius made a motion like tipping his hat and James kissed her briefly on the cheek and the three of them sped off down the corridor towards the grounds.

* * *

The next week, Lily came upon a scene she was not very interested in as she opened the door to go to breakfast.

"That's stupid. Just because you're a terrible sister, doesn't mean no one else can be a good person." Lucie's friend Anna was shouting at Katy in the hallway of the girls' dorms.

"I am not a terrible sister and I told you, I don't know what ward she's in. Permanent Spell Damage is as much as I can tell you. And why would you want to go see her anyway? She's not your best friend anymore. She not even a person anymore!" Katy roared back.

"I don't care!" Anna shrieked. "I never even got to say goodbye to her and now you refuse to tell me where she is!"

"You can find her yourself. Go to St. Mungo's and ask the Welcomewitch where you would find Lucie Cupit and there you go, instant visiting abilities. Or you ask where the Permanent Spell Damage wards are, go up there and ask a Healer where Lucie is!"

"What is going on here?" Lily felt it was a good time to interfere.

"Your dear little friend over here says I shouldn't go see Lucie." Anna snarled at Katy.

"You won't gain anything from it! And I am not keeping information on her whereabouts secret. I already told you, I don't know what ward she is in. I know she is in the Permanent Spell Damage section of St. Mungo's but _that is all_. I do not now and don't ever plan on knowing any more."

"So you're just never going to see your sister again? Charming." Anna snorted.

"I'll see her when they fix her!" Katy looked close to tears, but there weren't any in her eyes. "I have my memories of her, as a human being, a happy person and I refuse to let them get taken over with memories of her as a… as she is now! And I don't know why you want to see her like this." And with that Katy turned around and stormed down to breakfast.

_(Notes! So Katy will be itallic like usual and _**Lily will be bold.**)

_What do you think Anna was on about this morning?_ Lily got a note shoved at her during Transfiguration that morning.

**She just misses Lucie, that's all.**

_Oh sure, defend her._

**I'm not defending her. She just doesn't understand why you don't want to see Lucie.**

_Well that's rubbish. Why would anyone WANT to see her?_

**She probably doesn't really believe you about Lucie.**

_What are you talking about? Why would I tell everyone Death Eaters drove my sister insane if it isn't true??_

**I doubt she thinks it's a blatant lie, she probably just doesn't think Lucie is all that different.**

_What an idiot._

"Miss Cupit! I believe we have talked about not passing notes in class." McGonagall snatched up the paper, scowling at Lily and Katy. Lily was turning pink and staring down at her desk. However when she glanced up at McGonagall, her expression was soft and full of pity and she set the note back down on the desk and went back to the front of the room.

"What just happened?" Lily whispered.

"She read it… and… and then gave it back?" Katy sounded in awe, like she didn't really believe they had just gotten away with passing notes in McGonagall's class without a scratch.

_Well i hope no one was counting on a big glitzy revelations for the whole anigamus discovery scene... and lucie will be popping in and out for a while now. mostly in conversations like that, we already know that katy has no desire to see her, however, at some point in the future, katy will be seeing her._

_review please! they make me love to write more and more! haha_

_Lily_


	50. Chapter 49

_man oh boy this is a long chapter... over 8,000 words. so that would be why it took a few days to get up. anway... _

_Conterra-san: you are my new best friend. just to say that. and now to respond to waht you said a bit: yeah... i know jack was sort of a waste of space. haha. i knew someone else had started the rose thing! hahaha... it would make him mad if you tried it now. :P no i am sorry but i will not be killing petunia, although yes she is a bit of a prat. new zealand you say? perhaps i will send the potters there. however, recently i did a bit of research and i found out that the potters were apparently rather old when James was born and died of wizarding illnesses but as i don't know those properly affect people, who knows how it will work out. it also said that mr and mrs evans, although mr evans does not exist in this story died of natural causes. so yay! three less people to brutally murder! you-know-who does sound a bit ridiculous, yes. haha and we did all just totally buy it. :D and sorry, i rather wanted to do that scene from katy's point of view too, but somehow it just didnt' happen... it was the plan though, the plan that is now skulking in the corner muttering incoherently... :P_

_alright, enough of me babbling! oh! this chapter will contain one POV switch, starting with Katy and going to Lily._

Chapter 49  
_Katy_

"Do you know what I just realized?" Lily said to Katy one morning at breakfast in late April. "In two months from now, we will no longer be students here." Lily looked sort of awed as she said it.

"Yeah." Katy grinned at Lily, she found it funny that Lily hadn't really gotten that before. "We can come visit though."

"Can we?" Lily frowned. "I've never seen old students here."

"Fine then, have it your way. As of two months from now we are banished from Hogwarts' grounds."

"Katy!"

"It was your idea." Katy shrugged. "Now let's go. Slughorn gave some Hufflepuffs detention for being late yesterday. Course you wouldn't get it, not his dear little protégée, but I don't want detention." Lily laughed and followed Katy out of the Great Hall towards the dungeons.

* * *

"Professor?" Katy was flipping through her Charms book and had found something that intrigued her. "Professor, how come this Charm is also in the Defense books?"

"And which Charm is that, Miss Cupit?" Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"The Patronus Charm." Katy looked up. "What is it?" She frowned at Lily when she heard her scoff from next to her. "I take it I should know what it is?"

"Not to worry, Miss Cupit, not to worry. It is a very advanced Charm used to defend oneself from Dementors." Katy looked up at Flitwick with a sort of scared face.

"Why would anyone deal with Dementors? They just guard Azkaban Prison, right? They won't come near anyone who doesn't deserve to be near them, right?" She dearly hoped she was right.

"True, they guard Azkaban, however there are many wizards and witches who feel it is an important Charm to learn. While it may appear in two of your course textbooks, we do not usually teach it at Hogwarts."

"Why not?" James raised his hand and asked.

"It is an immensely complicated Charm, Mr. Potter."

"Can we learn it?" Sirius asked.

"Mr. Black, the Patronus is not on the course syllabus." Flitwick frowned at Sirius.

"Yes, but Professor," Lily stood up and Katy was surprised. Lily never contradicted teachers. "In light of what is going on outside of school, isn't it important for us to know as many useful defensive Charms as we can?"

"I suppose that is true, Miss Evans." Flitwick said, he was looking over the entire class and everyone looked excited. "I suppose if you want to learn the Patronus Charm, I can speak with the Headmaster, but if it quite possible we will not be able to cover it. It is not on your NEWT exams and at this point in the school year, which is all we are going to be focusing."

"But won't we just be reviewing old stuff" Katy asked. Flitwick nodded. "So then we can learn something new for fun. It won't matter if we don't get it because we won't be tested on it." The class had to settle down with the promise that Professor Flitwick would talk to Dumbledore about learning how to cast a Patronus.

"What's the incantation?" Katy asked after class as they all walked outside onto the grounds.

"_Expecto patronum._" Remus said immediately.

"Do you know everything?" Sirius laughed.

"Pretty close." James said and Remus glared at him.

"I think that's a compliment, Remus." Katy giggled at his glare.

"Not from James, that's a taunt." Remus said but he started laughing too.

"What exactly _is_ a Patronus?" Mary asked.

"It's like a guardian, a spirit-like thing. It's happiness, but it's not real so that's why it fights off a Dementor, you can't take happiness out of something that isn't real." Aimy answered, glancing at Remus shyly. Katy wasn't sure why, but it looked like Aimy wanted conformation even though no one in their right mind would contradict Aimy Bennet. She was never wrong. She and Remus had the weirdest lack of relationship ever. They weren't going out, they had just gone on one "date" at Hogsmeade that day, but it had been a group thing, so it wasn't really a date. Katy had no idea what was going on with the two of them. It seemed like they didn't really know either.

"I hope we learn how to do them, the pictures of them are so cool looking." Lily smiled. "But shouldn't we study for the stuff we actually half to know?"

"Oh Lily," James grinned at her. "Lily, Lily, Lily, do you think of anything other than studying?"

"You cross my mind occasionally." She smirked at him.

"I have such a charming girlfriend." He smirked back. "A real keeper." She frowned at him and pulled him to sitting down.

"Well now you are being charmingly forced to study."

"One last question." Mary grinned and Lily shrugged. "What does a Patronus look like?"

"Everyone has their own Patronus. They're unique, but I believe they are always animals of some sort." Lily said. "And they have something to do with the person. Sort of like an 'inner animal' type thing."

"Like an animagus, then?" Mary asked and all four boys turned red and looked away.

"Yeah, to a degree they are." Lily giggled. Mary and Aimy exchanged a confused look but they moved on from a short awkward silence and allowed Lily to commandeer them all into studying for their NEWT's.

* * *

Four days later, there was a sign on the notice board that had attracted a lot of attention.

_**The Patronus Charm**_

_There will be formal lessons in the casting  
of the Patronus Charm available  
to any students who wish to learn, providing  
they are of age._

_Lessons will be held in the Great Hall each Saturday  
from directly after lunch until 2:30._

"That's going to be the best." Katy grinned at Lily who looked incredibly excited. "Do you know the theory at all?"

"Not really, it has something to do with being happy, you need to think of something happy to conjure one I think, but I'm not quite sure how it works. The first lesson is in two days, so we'll find out soon enough!"

Not everyone was as excited; after all, most of the school couldn't participate in the Patronus lessons. Of those who were able to take the lesson, Remus was the only one who didn't seem completely excited.

"What if my Patronus is a werewolf?" He asked Lily and Katy, he had come out of the common room looking worried and been flagged down in the corridor by Katy. After he having made sure no one could hear, he voiced his worry. "What if casting a Patronus gives away my secret?"

"It won't. Unless you're the first person to be successful, no one will pay your Patronus any mind, and if they do, just tell them it's a regular wolf." Remus looked unsure, but nodded at Lily's explanation.

* * *

On Saturday, it took a while to get the Great Hall empty of all but those allowed to stay. There were many people who tried to stay but were underage. Once they had weeded out those who couldn't participate, the number was much more manageable. All eight Gryffindors were there, all nine Hufflepuffs, all eight Ravenclaws and three of the eight Slytherins. Although Katy could see the looks of exasperation on the professors' faces, everybody stood with their own housemates. The teachers quickly Banished the house tables to the side of the room, leaving space in the middle, rather like Apparition lessons.

"Good afternoon, everyone." Professor Dumbledore stood at the High Table, smiling down at them. "I don't suppose I have to explain why we are all here, so I will allow Professor 

McGonagall to proceed." He nodded in farewell and stepped down, standing off to the side to watch the whole thing happen.

"Good afternoon." McGonagall said as well. "Has anyone here seen a full body Patronus Charm done?" Katy grinned; it was like McGonagall to cut right to the chase. Emma Westberg from Ravenclaw and Alex Porter from Hufflepuff raised their hands. Katy frowned that no one from Gryffindor had ever seen one. "Have either of you attempted one?" Emma put her hand up again. Katy knew she was quite clever. "And what did you succeed in accomplishing, Miss Westberg?"

"I got the silvery haze stuff. But it never took a form." Emma looked disappointed with herself.

"Very good, very good. McGonagall nodded approvingly. "I expect you all know the incantation, but let's go over it, shall we? The incantation for the Patronus Charm is _'Expecto patronum.'_" There were whispers of "_Expecto patronum" _all over the Great Hall. "Now, the Patronus is rather like a guardian of happiness, if you will. It can protect oneself from Dementors because Dementors cannot suck the happiness out of them as they are not real, living creatures."

"Professor?" Michael Nolen, a Ravenclaw, asked. "Can you show us your Patronus?" There was a general air of approval and excitement.

"_Expecto patronum._" McGonagall said and Katy thought she may have smiled before she did it, but wasn't sure as McGonagall didn't seem the sort to show off her abilities. A silver tabby cat leapt out of McGonagall's wand and walked around the students before disappearing abruptly. "In order to conjure a Patronus, you need to concentrate on something happy. Pick a happy memory and think about it as hard as you can while you say the incantation." Professor McGonagall paused. "And I do hope none of you are expecting to have a full body Patronus by the end of today, you may not have even accomplished much of the silvery vapor. However, if your silvery vapor seems to be forming a sort of cover around you, you have successfully made a shield Patronus which can also be helpful." She stepped down and she, Professor Flitwick and Professor Dumbledore all began walking through the students, helping them.

Katy decided to use her memory of the first time she saw Hogwarts; the first time she saw the castle. She tried to concentrate on how excited she felt as much as possible and said "_Expecto patronum!_" but nothing happened. A bit disappointed, Katy tried again. After three more tries, five in all with the first time at Hogwarts memory, Katy decided it wasn't a strong enough memory. Glancing around, she felt a bit jealous, Aimy had some silvery stuff shooting out of her wand, although it wasn't very strong and disappeared moments after it came out, but it was still something. Lily and Remus both had wisps of silvery stuff, but no one else that Katy could see had accomplished anything. Anna Mattinson and Ben Edgecomb, both from Hufflepuff, were standing with their eyes closed waving their wands like mad but they appeared to have forgotten to say the incantation. The three Slytherins, Daniel Wolf, Natalia Olsen and Henry Farrow were standing off by themselves, snickering rather loudly at Anna and Ben's attempts.

No one was surprised when, although seeing her still made Katy blush a bit, Amanda Knight was the first to be successful in a shield Patronus. She had a sort of white disk-like thing in front of her. After a short discussion between the three professors, McGonagall informed them that while that was quite an accomplishment, they were not going to be awarding house points, but then with a severe side glance she said that misbehavior would still result in a loss of house points.

By the end of the first practice, Katy had still not succeeded in accomplishing anything. One of the Slytherin boys had gotten a shield Patronus and all but one of the Ravenclaws had too. About half the Hufflepuffs had gotten silvery wispy stuff but it hadn't taken any shape. Aimy had gotten a shield Patronus as well, but Lily and Remus were the only other Gryffindors who got anything done.

* * *

Katy spent all her free time, that was not taken over by Lily with studying, practicing the Charm and by the next Saturday, she had gotten the silvery stuff, but it wasn't a shield, much less a full body.

The new memory Katy was using was when Sirius has asked her out. It seemed to work a lot better and her silver stuff was much more defined and stayed in existence longer with each try. By the end of the second Saturday, everyone had gotten the silvery stuff and most people had some kind of shield Patronus.

"This is really making me tired." Katy said as they all stumbled out of the Great Hall.

"That's because it's advanced magic, obviously it's tiring." Lily grinned and looped her hand in James'. James whispered something in her ear and she nodded, after which they both waved goodbye and went down a different corridor that led outside onto the grounds.

"Subtle, Prongs, really subtle." Sirius shook his head.

"You should talk." Remus snorted. "You two are always disappearing and being found in…compromising situations as for some reason it seems it is always a teacher who finds you."

"Well, they don't usually care that much. 'Cept McGonagall, she doesn't seem to think it's okay to snog your boyfriend." Katy giggled.

"Yeah and the only time she ever really got mad is when we were supposed to be doing detention."

"You guys spent a detention making out?" Mary slapped her forehead. "A detention with _McGonagall_? How thick can you get?"

"Thanks, Mary." Mary beamed in response to Katy, who frowned at her.

"Speaking of detention, don't you have detention with McGonagall tonight because of that particular situation?" Aimy asked Sirius.

"Oh yeah, we do don't we?" Sirius frowned. "I am not in the mood for detention. And it will be boring, just one person."

"Are you ever in the mood for detention? And we both have it, so why will it be just one person?" Katy asked.

"I was in the mood for detention with you a few days ago." And Katy turned red while everyone laughed. "And I suppose it might be both of us, but if it is, McGonagall will stay the whole time so we can't talk and otherwise I'm guessing she'll stick one of us on someone else."

"Terrific." Katy glared at the bit of wall they were passing.

"I doubt she'll be staying so that you two don't talk." Mary smirked.

"That's not what I meant!" Sirius said, but he was laughing. "I meant if she's there we can't talk to each other during the detention, but if you want to be all… there's no chance of anything more than talking happening if she's there, that's true."

That evening at eight o'clock, Sirius and Katy presented themselves at McGonagall's office.

"Good evening." She said shortly. Katy saw her gaze travel down to her and Sirius' intertwined hands and they both pulled their hands away from each other. Not for the first time, Katy thought she might have seen McGonagall smile quickly as she turned away, but she couldn't be sure.

Sirius had been correct in his first guess, McGonagall had them doing lines about appropriate behavior and she sat at her desk the entire time. When they finally got out the both walked out stiffly, carefully not touching each other. As soon as they got to the other side of the door however, Sirius seized Katy's hand and pulled her close to him. She giggled and, although a little voice in the back of her head was muttering about how this was not the time or place, leaned forward and they began kissing. After five minutes they were interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Katy immediately knew what happened and the little voice in her head shouted triumphantly.

"Did you not just spend an hour copying lines about behaving properly?" McGonagall asked, her lips a thin line.

"Yes, Professor, however I think that was in reference to while in detention. I wasn't aware a rule had been passed against snogging in the hallway." Sirius said cheerfully. McGonagall just sighed, seemed to decide it was useless to pursue this particular fight and went back into her classroom. Katy burst out laughing and the two of them went back to Gryffindor tower before McGonagall could change her mind and give them more detention.

* * *

"Katy! Come with me!" Lily grabbed Katy and marched her right back out of the common room. "I've been waiting for you to get back."

"Where are we going?" Katy asked, looking back over their shoulder and the quickly receding portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Dumbledore." Lily said firmly. "He'll know how to help."

"Help with what?" However Lily didn't answer. She just continued to pull Katy to the Headmaster's office."Acid pop." She said and they went up the spiraling staircase. Lily knocked rapidly and when they heard "enter" from the other side of the door, Lily opened it and pulled Katy inside behind her.

"Miss Evans, good evening. How may I help you?" Professor Dumbledore gestured to a chair in front of his desk and then noticed Katy. "Ah, Miss Cupit as well, delightful." He smiled and conjured a second chair that appeared beside Lily's.

"Professor, I want to know how to help." Lily said quickly.

"Help with what?" Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair, looking from Lily to Katy.

"Help fight. After school is done, all this Patronus stuff, learning to defend myself, I want to fight You-Know-Who." Lily took a deep breath. "Please?"

"You want to help fight?" Dumbledore asked and Lily nodded vigorously. "Miss Cupit? You haven't said anything."

"Please Professor, she didn't know we were coming here or what for, I brought her because I know she will want to as well."

"I do, I want to fight also." Katy sat up straighter and looked hopefully at Dumbledore.

"And we thought you would know how we can help. I know you're fighting him, Professor, and you're leading others in fighting him. Can we fight?" Lily said eagerly.

"The Order of the Phoenix?" Dumbledore asked and for the first time, Lily looked confused.

"The what?" She asked. "Sir." She added with a sheepish smile.

"The Order of the Phoenix. I'm afraid I cannot take you in while you are still in school, but in the next month and a half you will cease to be in school and if you maintain the wish to fight Voldemort," Lily's eyes widened and Katy looked up sharply. Dumbledore didn't seem to notice. "then you are most welcome to join."

"But, sir, what is the Order of the Phoenix?"

"It's an organization that I created to fight Voldemort. It's secret, because obviously if it's members wore T-Shirts saying they belonged they would become the top targets of the Death Eaters. It is a relatively new organization; most of the members are only a few years older than you are. Some of them were just one year above you in school."

"And we can join?" Lily asked, scooting as far forward in her chair as she could.

"Of course, we need as many people on our side as we can get." Dumbledore stood up. "I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore about the Order until you come to a meeting and join, for safety reasons of course. Is there anything else?" He asked pleasantly.

"Can we tell James and Sirius about it?" Katy asked. "They'll want to join too, I know it."

"Yes I believe that will be okay." Dumbledore smiled at them. "Goodnight, girls." They both said goodnight and walked back to Gryffindor Tower, talking excitedly. By the end of the next day, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all interested in joining Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix.

* * *

The third Patronus lesson was by far the most interesting so far. Most of the people were staring to achieve shapes to their Patronus and it was far cooler looking than shields. James was one of the first, his being a stag. Katy knew why this caused so much amusement for the four boys and she and Lily also shared a smile. A couple of Ravenclaws got it early on as well. Katy's was starting to take a shape, but it still wasn't strong enough to be anything recognizable.

About two minutes before the lesson was going to end, Lily let out a yelp and everyone turned to see that she had just succeeded. Everyone stood looking at the animal that had jumped out of her wand and then there were a few moments of awkward silence where everyone's heads went back and forth between Lily and James. Lily turned scarlet when she realized what her Patronus was and why everyone was looking at James as well as her. Her silvery white doe was prancing around her, the exact match to James' stag.

Lily was a nice shade of pink for the rest of the day and James couldn't stop smiling for anything. Katy was a bit jealous, she wanted to know what her Patronus was and it was cute how Lily and James' went together. She knew that Sirius pretty much assumed his would be a dog like his animagus and was therefore less excited to see it as he could see it whenever he wanted. That was another thing, Katy had still not seen James or Sirius as their animagus and she was curious about what they looked like.

* * *

Katy dozed off on the couch in the common room thinking about the fact that Lily's Patronus fit so perfectly with James'. In her dream that night, she was walking somewhere. She didn't know quite where it was she was walking, but it was a straight line. There were rows and rows of people on either side of her and she was happy. She was excited, she couldn't wait for whatever was about to happen. She kept walking and she was aware that she was arm in arm with her father. They kept walking and Katy got more and more excited. Suddenly her father stopped their walking and kissed her on the cheek and told her he loved her and turned her back forward. She turned to smile at him and kept walking. This time she couldn't go very far, but it was then that she realized what she was dreaming. Sirius was standing there in dress robes, James just beside him. Katy turned around and saw Lily behind her in a very pretty blue dress. Katy glanced down and registered that she was wearing a long white gown and she knew: she was getting married. She didn't really pay attention to what the wizard who performed the ceremony was saying, she heard "bonded for life" and then Sirius kissed her and much to her displeasure she was woken up.

"What?" She sat up groggily, Lily had woke her up by shaking her shoulders.

"I didn't know what was going on, you were smiling and giggling like mad and I didn't know you were asleep so I tried to ask what was so funny but you didn't say anything so I shook your shoulders. What was going on?"

"I was having a very nice dream, thank you very much." Katy was a bit disgruntled. She hadn't wanted that dream to stop. But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she realized what it meant and turned bright red.

"What was it? And why are you blushing?" Lily grinned and sat down on the couch next to Katy, staring expectantly at her.

"Lily do you want to marry James?" Katy asked. Lily was obviously not expecting that question.

"What?" She asked, looking around the room to make sure James hadn't heard. The four boys were over in another corner of the common room, which was now getting rather empty.

"Do you want to marry James?"

"I... Katy we've only been going out for like seven months."

"Do you love him?" Katy didn't know why she wanted to know these things, but she just had to. Once she asked, she needed to know.

"Katy, what did you dream?" Lily looked alarmed.

"It wasn't about you and James getting married if that's what you're wondering." Katy said quickly. Lily nodded. "Do you love him?" Katy asked again and it was Lily's turn to blush.

"Do I love James?" Lily asked and Katy had a feeling it was more to herself than to Katy. "I don't know, I've never thought about it before. I really, really like him, that I know."

"So you don't love him? Not yet?" Katy asked and Lily shrugged helplessly and Katy knew she wasn't going to get a better answer out of Lily.

"Why are you asking these questions?" Lily asked. "Do you love and want to marry Sirius?" Katy didn't say anything. "You do!" Lily smiled at Katy who blushed a deep red. "You're in love with Sirius."

"Is that bad? I'm only seventeen!" Katy asked, she really needed the reassurance.

"Of course it's good. People can love at any age."

"Like James." Katy grinned. "He's loved you forever." Katy wished she hadn't said it though, because Lily turned red and looked at the floor.

"Did you dream you were marrying Sirius?" Lily asked and Katy looked up and smiled while Lily inhaled deeply and grinned back at Katy. "You are too cute, Katy Cupit."

"Look who's talking." Katy said and Lily glared at her. "You have the same Patronus, which has got to be the sweetest thing I have ever heard of." Lily smiled, but it seemed like she was trying hard not to, although Katy knew she wasn't actually upset with her.

"Have you told him?" Lily asked, suddenly breathless. "Told him that you love him?"

"No, nothing like that has ever come up. It was just never the right moment. We're not exactly alone all that much, last time we spent an evening together was detention with McGonagall, not that romantic, you know?"

"Oh come on, McGonagall would have loved it if you had started declaring your undying love for each other. Maybe she would have even performed the ceremony." Lily smirked and Katy threw a pillow from the couch at her.

"Well Lily, I'll bet you'll be halfway done saying 'I love you' to James, once you're ready of course, when he interrupts you to say it back."

"You think he really loves me?" Lily asked quietly.

"Yes, he's just itching to say it, but he's far too nervous of scaring you and having you break up with him, so I'm guessing he's going to follow your lead on that particular step."

"And what about Sirius? Do you know how he feels?" Lily blushed at what Katy said, but didn't say anything about it, something that struck Katy as rather amusing.

"I don't know. He never seemed like the marrying type to me, I don't know if he's the love type either. I hope he is though. I want to marry him, Lily, I do. And I don't care that I'm only seventeen and still in school. I want to marry him." Katy could tell she had surprised Lily with that, but Lily regained her composure almost immediately.

"I think he does." Lily whispered and Katy looked up at her hopefully. "He adores you that I know. But you're right that he doesn't seem like the settle down and marry type, but then would he still be going out with you? You two have been going out for over two years, don't you think if he wasn't that fond of you, he'd have ended it by now?" Katy was greatly heartened by what Lily said but still not sure.

"We should really have fallen for the other one, huh? James and I both seem like for sures and you and Sirius are both probablys." Katy giggled.

"Indeed, I suppose we could always trade." Lily laughed.

"Oh yes, that would be charming. 'James, Sirius, we're trading you for each other. Sirius you are now going out with Lily. James, you're with me.'" Katy dissolved into laughter which attracted the attention of the very subjects of her amusement.

"I'm with you for what?" James led the four of them over.

"What?" Katy was alarmed, how much had they heard.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you. Lily was laughing and you said something that I didn't hear and then you said 'James, you're with me.' And I'm curious what you were talking about."

"We're switching boyfriends." Lily grinned and then shot Katy a look that clearly said she wasn't about to tell them why.

"You're what?" Sirius stepped forward.

"We're mixing things up a bit." Katy stood up and laughed at their surprised faces. "Sirius, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, this is Lily Evans, she's really nice. I'm sure you two will get along great."

"Er… nice to meet you, Lily?" Sirius seemed wholly unsure if he should play along.

"And Katy, this lovely young man here has been asking to meet you for ages. I've told him loads about you and I do believe he's already in love." Lily grinned and Katy burst out laughing. "James, this is Katy."

"James, lovely to meet you, Lily's mentioned you once or twice."

"Charmed…" James shook Katy's extended hand.

"So what is this? Some sort of mixed up double date?" Sirius asked. "Did you two drink something funny?"

"No… we're just introducing our friends to people they would like." Katy beamed at Sirius. "Don't you like Lily?"

"Yeah, she's delightful." He shook his head in obvious confusion.

"I think we'll let you four have your messed up date. Night." Remus was clearly trying hard not to laugh, as was Peter and the two of them went upstairs. James, Sirius, Lily and Katy were now the only people in the common room.

"So James," Katy grinned, turning to her "boyfriend" with a smile. "Tell me a bit about yourself."

"Well," James and Sirius looked at each other and then cracked identical grins. "I play Quidditch, I love it, it's loads of fun." James was suddenly into the game. It was a bit unnerving to Katy and she could tell Lily was surprised as well. "I play chaser on the Gryffindor team. What about you? Do you play?"

"Oh… no I don't play, I like Quidditch though. Fun to watch." Katy smiled nervously.

"What about you, Sirius?" Lily asked, interrupting a rather awkward silence and batting her eyelashes ridiculously. Sirius looked quite taken aback. Katy grinned at Lily, this was going to be a fun evening if it kept up like this, each pair trying to out play-along the other.

"I'm a chaser as well, on the house team just like James. What about you Lily? What are you interested in?"

"I like Potions, they're fun to make. And I would adore Transfiguration, but there are these two boys in my class, and they are always showing off, makes it quite a pain." Katy snorted at the looks on James and Sirius' faces but regained her composure immediately. "Of course, they're pretty good, but they just show off too much."

"Sirius, can I have a word?" James asked. Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "Just to tell him if he hurts you I'll kill him, that stuff." Lily laughed and the two boys stepped just out of earshot.

"This is so weird." Lily said.

"But it's fun, and we are so going to win." Katy grinned.

"Win?" Lily shook her head. "You are weirdly competitive." Katy opened her mouth to respond but James and Sirius had come back.

"Well, this has been a lovely blind date…" James began and Katy grinned triumphantly, they were about to lose, even if it wasn't a competition to anyone else.

"…But we just hate one time things, and you two seem like such nice girls." Katy's grin faltered and Sirius smirked at her, continuing. "Perhaps we could do it again tomorrow?"

"I... I'd love to." Katy's grin was gone but she tried to sound sure of herself. She glanced at Lily who looked confused and amused at the same time.

"Yes, that would be delightful." Lily said with much more composure than Katy had. "What time then?"

"We'll do dinner; we can have a picnic outside. Lily, will you meet me in the entrance hall at about 6:30 tomorrow evening?" Sirius smiled at Lily.

"I'd be delighted to."

"Katy, let's meet here, shall we?" James grinned at Katy.

"Of course." She said and smiled back.

"Then we will see you tomorrow." He responded and there was much awkward shaking of hands and the two groups parted.

"That was so weird." Lily said when they got upstairs. "Do you think they're serious about tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And so are we. We are going to win. Yes Lily, this is a competition. Trust me, they think so too by this point. They're going to try to intimidate us into either saying why were started this in the first place or be like 'No I'm dating Sirius!' for me and James for you."

"They are weird. And what are we hoping for?"

"The same, it's all about pushing limits, Lily. And I know you're good at it, just do whatever you did last year with James, but I would prefer you didn't make out with Sirius."

"But he's my boyfriend now." Lily grinned.

"So I can make out with James then?" Katy asked.

"No fair." Lily pouted. "Well, he's your boyfriend, do what you like with him." Katy gaped at Lily.

"Thanks?" Katy wasn't sure how to respond to that. "But now that we're on it, I'll bet they try that."

"You think Sirius is going to try to kiss me and James will try to kiss you?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Yes but not for real. I think they'll act like they're going to try to get us to freak out and back out." Katy grinned. "But if we do the same thing, they'll freak out first."

"You want me to get Sirius to think I want to snog him?"

"Yup." Katy said brightly. "Now let's go to sleep, we have a date tomorrow." She heard Lily giggled and then they both got into bed and fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Katy led the way downstairs and she and Lily went up to James and Sirius, neither of whom looked sure what to do.

"Good morning, James." Katy said, smiling broadly at him. "I had a great time last night." She giggled up at him.

"I'm glad, that's what I was hoping." James said back and Katy noticed they had attracted a lot of weird stares.

"I had a terrific time with you last night, Lily." Sirius cut in. Lily smiled at him and giggled in a way Lily had probably never giggled in before.

"I did too, it was really… fun." She cocked her head to one side and giggled again. By now they had the entire Gryffindor common room staring at them like they had all gone mad. They all sort of reached their hands forward, but seemed to think better of it, and, deciding something had to happen, Katy linked her arm with James' and led him from the common room. She glanced back to see Sirius do the same with Lily and even more mystified glances from the other Gryffindors.

All day no one seemed to know what to make of the new pairings. No one came up and blatantly asked what was going on, but people hinted at it all day. Katy Cupit dating James Potter was so unlikely that she hadn't expected anyone to buy it, but the fact that no one wanted to question it made her almost not able to keep up the whole game because she was so close to laughing all the time.

In the common room at 6:15 that evening, Lily and Katy were both watching everyone file out for dinner nervously.

"So let's get this straight, we're going to beat them at whatever this is, right?" Katy asked and Lily grinned.

"We can easily mess with their minds." Lily smirked and they both fell into silence again. At 6:25, Lily said a hasty goodbye and hurried out of the room toward the entrance hall. Katy sat down on the couch, then stood up by the door to the boys dorms, then sat down in a different armchair, then moved to the stairs by the girls dorms and when James came downstairs she was sitting in yet another chair.

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he asked, throwing her a look of hurt and concern.

"No!" She said and then it occurred to her how stupid it was that she was nervous, she had known James all her life. They had never pretended to be dating or anything remotely similar before, but it wasn't like anything was actually going to happen. "I've been looking forward to this all day." He smiled and held out his arm to him. Katy grinned and took hold of his hand instead. She felt him tense for a second, and then he relaxed.

"Then let's go, shall we?" He grinned. "So, what made you decide to introduce Lily to Sirius, and why did Lily introduce us?"

"Didn't Lily say you'd been asking to be introduced for ages?" Katy asked innocently.

"But what made you two finally agree?" James countered without missing a beat.

"Oh, you know, this and that." Katy waved her free hand around vaguely but realized she was blushing and that sort of scratched out her shows of casualness. However, there was no way she was going to tell James she was in love with Sirius. No sooner had that crossed her mind than she burst out laughing. It was stupid, just when she realized she was on love with Sirius, she started playing some game which had her with James.

"What's so funny?" James asked, stopping and turning her so she was facing him.

"Oh nothing, it's not important." You'd just be able to completely sympathize and understand, being in love with someone when you don't think they share the feeling, Katy thought to herself and she felt almost bitter about the whole thing.

"Alright then." Then there was the first awkward silence James and Katy had ever had together. "I have a proposition to make." The wicked grin was back and Katy was a bit worried what James had in mind.

_(Lily's point of view!)_

Lily went out of the common room and stood stock still for almost a full minute. She had no idea what was going to happen, but she was determined to not get nervous and to "win" as Katy put it, even though she didn't really know what would happen to make one party "win".

She got to the entrance hall and waited in the spot she and Sirius had agreed earlier that day. There was a part of her that was hoping he wouldn't show up, but he did. He even had a flower for her. She laughed when she saw that it was lily but took it without complaint. He offered his arm and she took it with a smile.

They made stupid small talk all the way down, discussing school and the weather. As it was closing in on the end of May, it was still light out and the sun had barely started setting. Sirius steered her out to the beech tree that they usually sat under where there was a picnic blanket and a basket and four place settings.

"Are we allowed to do this? And not have dinner for real?" Lily grinned and sat down next to Sirius.

"Who knows, but here we are… so let's make the most of it shall we?" Sirius sat down rather closer to Lily that she would have picked, but she didn't move, she didn't even flinch. Then she turned to see if James and Katy were coming and what she saw made her mouth fall open in surprise. Katy and James were either trying very hard to outdo each other or they had ulterior motives; Katy was giggling loudly and staring up at James in an adoring way and James had one of his arms around her waist and the other crossed in front of himself holding one of her hands. He was whispering in her ear and apparently whatever it was, it was amusing. Lily knew that they had agreed to win no matter what, but that seemed to be going a bit far.

"Hi." Katy said breathlessly when they got up. "This is nice, isn't it? Did you do this?" She smiled angelically up at James.

"Sirius helped me." He said with fake modesty. Lily and Sirius exchanged a confused look and then both seemed to remember this wasn't supposed to confuse them and they quickly tried to look like they thought Katy and James fawning over each other was cute.

"Well, let's eat!" James said and sat down, Katy sat much too close to him and he still had his arm around her waist, so she was sort of leaning into him.

* * *

After they finished eating, they sat and watched the sunset. Katy and James spent the entire time whispering to each other and giggling. Although the whispering was mainly James and the giggling was mainly Katy. Lily wasn't sure if she was confused, amused, or angry. This was just supposed to be a joke on James and Sirius, but now it seemed like a joke on Lily and Sirius.

"Fancy some fresh air?" Lily asked and then realized that was ridiculous as they were outside. "I mean," she glanced at Katy and James. "Some privacy, I'd really like to get to know you…better." James stopped whispering and Katy shut up mid-giggle.

"I was just going to suggest the same thing." Sirius said and he gave James and Katy a look that clearly said "Thanks for setting me up with her, I'm about to score." Before pulling Lily around the waist and off into a shadow of a tree a bit down the lake. "So any idea what's going on?" he asked, abandoning all pretense.

"None at all, although I suspect they decided to turn the joke on us."

"Yeah, me too. So we can either call them on it and get them to admit defeat, or raise to their level." Sirius smirked. "We can beat them I think."

"I think we can, yes." Lily grinned at saw Sirius grin back through the darkness. "What should we do?"

"Wait a bit before we go back and then we have to make it look like…" He started laughing but Lily clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Telling jokes is not what they think we're doing right now." She hissed. "And how do we make it look like that?"

"Well," Sirius reached up and for the smallest moment Lily was worried about what he was about to do, but he just started messing up her hair. "Make your hair all messy." He told her and moved his hand to his own head. Lily giggled and began fluffing around her hair so it was properly tousled. "What are you willing to do?" He asked with a grin.

"What are you thinking?" She narrowed her eyes when he unbuttoned the top few bottoms on his shirt. "I'm not taking my shirt off."

"No, no, I don't want you too. Just a couple buttons, maybe fix them wrong so it looks like it was done in a hurry."

"You really know how to make it look like you just… had a good time." Lily laughed quietly and Sirius shrugged.

"Alright, now I don't mean anything by this." Lily was a bit nervous, Sirius was raising his hand again and he did bring his hand to her mouth, but only to smudge the bit of color she had on her lips. He ended up with a little on his finger and with a smirk, wiped it off on his own mouth. Lily wasn't quite sure how to respond so she just grinned to show she wasn't upset. Lily turned away from him and undid the tie around her neck, unbuttoned most of her buttons and re-buttoned them one off so that there was an extra on top. She pulled back on her sweater and untucked her shirt from her skirt.

"Acceptable?" She asked, turning around.

"Acceptable? You really look like you've been, as you put it, having a good time." He grinned at her. "However, if you want to really do the hair thing, you put it up and then mess that up."

"How do you know these things, Sirius?" Lily asked as she pinned up her hair and ran her hand through a messy bun so that a few red curls came bouncing out. Sirius just smiled mysteriously. "Right, how long has it been?" She asked and looked down at her own watch. It had been about ten minutes. "Since you seem to know everything, how long would it take for me to actually look like this? If we were really doing something?"

"Oh I don't know; give it a few more minutes. That will be the time to put you back together." Lily raised her eyebrows at him. "Ish." He added. "Together-ish." Lily snorted. She wouldn't call herself even remotely together. "In the mean time, we make a plan."

"Right, as in how we act."

"Indeed. We have to act like we were just snogging… and maybe doing a bit more than that from the state of you."

"Shouldn't you be a bit rumpled too?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Sirius grinned and took off his sweater and threw it on the ground. He unbuttoned a good portion of his buttons right in front of her and then decided it shouldn't be exactly the same as hers, so he buttoned them correctly, leaving the top four open. He untucked about half his shirk. "Acceptable?" he grinned at her.

"Yes, that will do." She giggled. "Right, so we do what they were doing only more, you can be all whispering to me and I'll just giggle and act like an idiot all the time."

"Okay good. Now the one we need to know if we're going to keep a straight story." Lily raised her eyebrows. "Are we 'falling in love' or just hooking up?" he said with immense composure but Lily broke out in giggles. "I believe you told me that laughter was not what they are supposed to think we are doing."

"I don't know, what do you think?" Lily asked.

"Well they look like they're trying to pull off being 'enamored' with each other." Sirius smirked. "So do we do the same, or do we let them get emotional and we do the physical. Hypothetically, of course." He added quickly at Lily's raised eyebrows.

"I think honestly the physical would freak them out more." Lily said.

"You know, you seem so sweet on the outside." Sirius said.

"It's a gift." Lily grinned. "Right then." She grabbed one of his hands.

"No, no, that won't do." Sirius took hold of both her arms and draped them round his shoulders. She blushed a bit but didn't move them. He took hold of her waist in the same manner James had been holding Katy. "Okay, think of something funny and start laughing." He whispered. Lily immediately tried to picture James and Katy's faces when they saw her and Sirius and it worked. She started giggling like mad.

"So what do you think of the weather, hmm? Lovely isn't it? Yes I think so too. Gosh I don't want to take exams. They're quite a pain in the bum. But you wouldn't agree, you love school. Don't know how, it really gets on my nerves sometimes." Sirius kept up a monologue of useless rubbish in Lily's ear as they walked out from behind the tree and back toward James and Katy.

_so i know that was a lot of stuff in one chapter and i am not done with the patronus bit, it will come back. _

_and i know this last bit may seem totally OOC and irrelevent but it has a purpose, i promise. it will all make sense in probably the next chapter. _

_again, sorry it took a while for this chapter to get up, i suppose i should have split it earlier, there were plenty of spots i could have, but sometimes a huge long one is just what i need. haha... okay i am exhausted, time for bed i think._

_thank you so much to all you lovely people who have reviewed me!_

_Lily_


	51. Chapter 50

_sorry for the delay... i was visiting friends and didn't have wireless so i couldn't get the document from word to here. also there will be two POV switches._

_conterra-san you are still my best friend, i am so glad you like the story and soo soo glad you review so much! it just makes my life happy._

_tresdrole: i hope you don't think katy turned into a mary sue. i assure you she isn't based on me and i am not in love with sirius. i do like him a lot but i did not create her to fill in my unrequited love for sirius black._

_SilverSkulblaka: my favorite kind of cookie is chocolat chip!_

Chapter 50  
_Katy_

For Katy and James, all awkwardness had left the situation. James had suggested they see if they could freak out Lily and Sirius by both playing along together and it had clearly worked. James was whispering random facts and sayings into Katy's ear and even she hadn't have had the confused looks of Lily and Sirius to keep her laughing, what he was saying would have done the trick.

When Lily and Sirius had left to go and "get to know each other better" Katy wasn't quite sure what to think. Neither she nor James had said anything for a few minutes and then they had just started talking, talking about whatever, just like a normal conversation, except for that Katy was sort of leaning into James. They had chatted and joked with each other for a bit over ten minutes, and by then Sirius and Lily had completely gone out of her mind. They were brought back into her mind rather forcefully as they reappeared. James was taking a sip of pumpkin juice at the time and sprayed it all out all over Katy. Katy was thankful she hadn't been drinking or eating at the time because whatever was in her mouth at the time would not have been anymore.

Lily's hair had been put up in a bun, although it looked like it had been done quickly. Bits of it were missing from the bun and falling down onto her shoulders. She had obviously unbuttoned her blouse as it was rebuttoned wrong, probably also in a hurry, with one button off so there was an extra on top. Her shirt had been pulled out of her skirt and no had made any attempt to fix it. However the thing that caught Katy's attention most was the fact that there was some color smudged on Lily's lips and a bit onto her cheek. Glancing at Sirius, he had a bit of the same color on his own lips. Katy's eyes widened as she took in Sirius' appearance as well as Lily's. He had completely abandoned his sweater and about half his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned. His hair was a bit messed up too, but not nearly as bad as Lily's. Lily was giggling like mad and she was draped over Sirius while he held onto her waist.

"Katy," Sirius sat down across from Katy and James and Lily was as close to in his lap as it was possible to be and not actually be in his lap. "Thank you so much for introducing Lily and I." Lily giggled and turned bright red. "She's amazing." Lily turned brighter red and Katy was feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, she's great. I... I thought you might get along." Katy tried her best to sound calm and collected but she didn't think it worked.

"So, Katy, we're set for tomorrow?" James asked all of a sudden. Katy had no idea what he was talking about but nodded eagerly as if she did. "Lovely, terrific, marvelous, spiffing." James was seeming more and more uncomfortable and then Katy remembered something that made her think James was going to crack very soon. A year earlier it had been shown that James feared Lily choosing Sirius over him and apparently his nightmare was coming true. While Katy knew that nothing had actually happened between them, it was still hard to convince her eyes and the emotional side of her. James seemed to be having a harder time of it.

"What are you guys doing?" Sirius asked pleasantly.

"Just hanging out, doing whatever." James glared back defiantly. Katy was surprised how angry James actually looked. "I'd invite you two to come along, but you know, it could be a bit awkward for you." He smirked triumphantly. It was Sirius' turn to glare at that. The two of them continued trying to prove to each other who was going to do what without actually saying what it was they were talking about for a while, during which Lily fixed her hair and adjusted the top buttons on her shirt so that it looked normal. She and Katy scooted off to the side and let James and Sirius argue about the world's stupidest thing.

"What exactly happened tonight?" Lily asked.

"No idea." Katy whispered back. "It started out funny last night, but now it's…mean. At least for them." She pointed at Sirius and Katy.

"Boys." Lily shook her head, frowning.

"I think we can call it a draw, alright?" Lily looked a bit confused but Katy just stood up and went over to where James and Sirius were almost glaring at each other. They looked like they weren't sure if they were actually angry or it was still just a game. "Sirius, can you come here a moment?" Katy called and Sirius looked up, surprised, but came over. "Sorry about all this." She smiled and pulled him close to her, kissing him. He was clearly surprised but kissed her back without question. "I'll say I lost. I'll wear the loser's crown." Katy grinned around at them. As soon as she said this, James and Lily sort of flew towards each other and apparently were going rather fast because when they hit they both sort of stumbled backwards.

* * *

"What was going on there?" Sirius asked Katy as they walked back up toward the castle. "Why did that happen?"

"Let's be hypothetical, shall we?" Katy asked and Sirius looked at her like she had gone momentarily mad, but nodded and Katy continued. "Let's just say you really liked someone, like loved them. Pretend you're in love with someone." Katy said and Sirius got a funny look on his face but nodded. "Right, now let's say you don't know if this person loves you back. Like you know they like you, and they like you a lot, but you don't know if they really truly love you." They had stopped walking and were both staring intently at the other. "And then let's say you have a best friend, and this best friend is dating the best friend of the person you are in love with." There was a long silence. "And let's say the best friend of the person you are in love with is in love with your best friend but your best friend isn't sure how she – _he_ feels. They are like the person you are in love with, they really like your best friend but aren't quite in love yet. And then let's just pretend you and your best friend are joking about how since two of the four people are in love with someone and two of the four people are just really liking someone and the person you are in love with and your best friend's boy – _girl_friend hear you and ask why you are talking about switching with each other. Hypothetically speaking, what would you do?"

"Well first I would hypothetically try to figure out which of these four people is hypothetical me. Having done that, I would make sure the hypothetical math of how many people are in love and how many people are just incredibly infatuated." Sirius paused. "But before I can do any of that, I need about an hour to work out exactly what you were talking about. Because no one had names in that hypothetical story, I'm not entirely sure who is who, although I have a good idea of who is who. And so for the sake our general understanding, let's just use our own names, just 

you know, to fill in the hypothetical people." Katy nodded, she knew she hadn't been at all subtle, but didn't really care. "Right so according to you, Hypothetical Sirius is in love with Hypothetical Katy, right?" Katy blushed deeply and nodded. "And Hypothetical James just really likes Hypothetical Lily who is in love with him." Katy grinned and nodded again. "And Hypothetical Sirius is not sure if Hypothetical Katy is also in love with him or just really likes him." Again, Katy blushed but nodded. "So Hypothetical James and Hypothetical Sirius are joking about how they should switch Hypothetical girlfriends and Hypothetical Lily and Hypothetical Katy hear them and come over and ask what they are talking about?"

"Yes. What would Hypothetical Sirius do?"

"Hypothetical Sirius, being in love with Hypothetical Katy, would tell her so. That way he will know what she thinks based on how she responds. Since Hypothetical Sirius has never mentioned love to Hypothetical Katy and has no idea how Hypothetical Katy feels, Hypothetical Sirius has nothing to lose and everything to gain from telling Hypothetical Katy how he feels about her. Besides, if Hypothetical Katy also was in love with Hypothetical Sirius and feeling exactly the same, nervous about sharing for the fear the feeling won't be returned, and neither of them ever voices it, they will both have wasted their lives. How would Hypothetical Katy respond to Hypothetical Sirius telling her he is in love with her?"

"Hopefully with a hypothetical yes." Katy whispered and she had a funny feeling this conversation was no longer hypothetical, just weirdly twisted so she didn't know if she was Sirius or Katy in it. They both stood there staring at each other for a long time, in complete silence. However they were interrupted by a wheezing Filch informing them that they had approximately ten minutes and forty seven seconds, give or take, to be back in Gryffindor tower or they would have detention for breaking curfew.

The common room was loud and crazy and they didn't have a chance to finish their conversation so Katy went to bed that night feeling more confused than ever. She had no idea whether or not she and Sirius had both just told the other that they were in love. It had sounded like that, but since she thought she was Sirius in the conversation, she didn't really know.

_(Lily now!)_

"Lily, where's Katy?" Sirius asked as soon as Lily came downstairs the next morning. Lily blushed a bit when she saw him, remembering the previous evening but regained her composure in seconds.

"She said she had a terrible headache and was going to stay in bed for the morning." Lily said quickly. "Did something happen between you two? Last night?"

"I don't really know… we had this weird conversation about what if I was in love with her and I didn't know if she loved me back only it was all hypothetical and you and James were a part of it, and I think it was a very weird and roundabout way of her sort of telling me she was in love with me, but I really don't know." Sirius collapsed in a chair. He looked up at Lily in an almost pleading way. "Do you know?"

"Do you love her?" Lily sat down next to him. "For real, do you love her?"

"I'm supposed to say no, aren't I?" Sirius frowned and Lily was very surprised. "I'm supposed to not fall in love when I'm seventeen, right? So I should tell you, no I am not in love with Katy, but I can't. Sorry if that disappoints you." Sirius was quite heated by the end of his little speech and Lily was a bit taken aback.

"No, no, of course you're allowed to be in love at seventeen." Lily tried to reassure him. "So you're in love with Katy?"

"How do you know? I think I am, but how do I know for sure?" Sirius frowned; Lily hadn't been expecting him to ask her if she knew how to tell about being in love. "What happens when you fall in love?" He looked at her and she looked away quickly. She didn't know what happened when you fell in love, how was she supposed to tell him? "You don't know…" Sirius said sadly and then looked up at Lily, obviously just having realized something and Lily thought she knew what it might be. "You don't love James." He said simply. "You don't love James? How can you not? He's been completely in love with you for ages, years maybe! Why don't you love him?" Sirius was standing up, pointing a finger accusingly at Lily. Lily was completely bewildered. She had no idea what to say.

"Who says I don't?" She stood up defiantly, she wasn't quite sure where she was going with this argument, but she was going with it. "You yourself said you don't know how you know for sure. Maybe I don't either!" Lily didn't know why she was angry with Sirius, but she was. She was pleased to see he looked rather affronted.

"Oh… sorry, something Katy said made me think you didn't. You do then?" He seemed to be trying very hard not to offend her.

"What? I asked you first!" Lily was prolonging the answer to that question as long as she could, because really, she had no idea.

"I'm going to take that as a no." Sirius glared at her.

"Then should I take that as you don't love Katy either? Otherwise, according to your logic, you would answer right away." She smirked triumphantly at him.

"Technically I answered when you asked earlier."

"That was not a real answer! You asked me how you would know for sure if you were."

"And did I not say 'I think I am'? Because I remember saying that." Sirius was right in front of her and they were both glaring heatedly at each other.

"What on earth is going on here?" Lily jumped a few miles when she heard Katy's voice and prayed she hadn't heard much. "You look ready to kill each other." Lily looked at Katy quickly but didn't meet her eyes. She glanced in another direction and to her horror saw James coming down the stairs into the common room.

"Lily said you were sick." Sirius frowned at Lily in an accusing way. "Are you sick?"

"I have a headache, yes." Katy sighed. "Now what was going on with you two?"

"Yes, what was that about?" James had come over; he too looked very surprised to find Sirius and Lily glaring at each other.

"We just got in an argument about something stupid." Lily mumbled.

"Really? You think it's stupid?" Sirius sounded disgusted with her. "Care to share what our 'stupid' argument was about?"

"Leave me alone!" Lily yelled and stormed out of the common room.

_(back to Katy)_

"Merlin's pants, what was that about?" James looked after Lily, clearly alarmed.

"What happened? And what exactly were you arguing about?" Katy frowned at the portrait hole.

"We just got in an argument and I don't know why we both got so mad, but we did."

"Why won't either of you say what you were arguing about?" Katy asked Sirius.

"Didn't you want Lily to tell us when she called it stupid?" James asked.

"Not really, I just said that cause I was mad." Sirius muttered to himself.

"So you were arguing and you won't tell me or James what it's about?"

"Nope, sorry." Sirius looked extremely uncomfortable with the whole situation and that intrigued Katy even more.

"Just out of curiosity, why won't you tell us?" James asked.

"Because it's not something either of you need to know." Sirius frowned at the two of them. "Can you two just drop it?"

"I'm going to go talk to Lily." James sounded very confused and Sirius didn't say anything so James left the common room and Katy was left with a very unhappy looking Sirius.

"And then there were two…" She said in an attempt to keep the mood somewhat light. However as silence set in Katy became acutely aware of what had passed between her and Sirius the night before and how she had no idea what it meant and what exactly had been said. After about ten minutes of painful silence, Lily came storming back into the common room, grabbed Katy roughly by the arm and manhandled her out of the portrait hole.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked and Katy was confused.

"What am I doing? What are you doing?"

"What did Sirius tell you?"

"Nothing, just that you two were fighting and he wouldn't tell James or I what it was about because he said it wasn't something we needed to know." Katy looked at Lily who seemed really quite upset. "What happened? If you don't want to tell me what the fight was about, okay, but really, Lily, what happened?"

"I don't know!" Lily cried. "I have no idea! It started out nice, but then he got mad at me because I didn't answer his question." Lily wouldn't make eye contact with Katy and Katy was starting to be suspicious that perhaps she and James had been the subjects of the argument.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you won't tell me the question." Katy frowned but Lily didn't notice.

"Yep, sorry, but I just can't." Lily smiled apologetically as they turned into the Great Hall for breakfast. Sirius and James were already there and they appeared to be arguing, though it didn't look like either of them was actually upset. Remus was watching them in an amused way although his glance kept sliding over to Aimy and Mary who were chatting while they ate. Katy suspected he wasn't paying much attention to Mary but decided not to question him as he seemed like he was trying hard not to be noticed.

"Morning!" Katy said cheerfully, hoping the breakfast table wouldn't be too terribly excruciating.

"Good morning James." Lily pointedly ignored Sirius who huffed at her and greeted Katy with a kiss across the table.

"Morning Lily…" James said, glancing back and forth between Lily and Sirius, both of whom were determinedly not making eye contact.

The rest of the day stayed quite awkward, Lily and Sirius didn't say anything to each other all day and it made it hard for Katy and Lily to talk or for Katy and James to talk or for Sirius and James to talk, because both Sirius and Lily kept a tight hold on Katy and James and didn't really let them stray to the other couple.

_this will be wor__ked out soon enoughish... and there will be patronus stuff in the next chapter i believe and pretty soon lily will be allowed to freak out over NEWT's._

_review review!_

_Lily_


	52. Chapter 51

_sorry i didn't get this up last night... so there are notes in this chapter again, but when we get to them, i will enlighten you to the fonts!_

_thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed, i don't have time to look carefully at how to respond to them right now, but at the next update, i will!_

Chapter 51  
_Katy_

"Katy!" James came running up to Katy in the corridor after their last class on Friday that week. Sirius and Lily had only exchanged about three words a day and Katy had barely been able to say anything to Lily as she was practically on a leash by Sirius. "Katy, have you gotten anything out of Sirius or Lily about this?" Katy was shocked to see that James looked close to tears.

"No, what on earth happened to you?" Katy pulled James outside and onto a bench. "Are you okay?"

"I don't think Lily likes me anymore." He looked pleadingly up at Katy. "She just broke up with me and she wouldn't tell me why."

"What?" Katy shrieked, she didn't believe that. "No, it can't be James, you must have misunderstood her. What did she say, exactly?"

"'I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore.'" James looked like he was starting to lose a battle with himself and looked like he was just about crying.

"Oh." Katy couldn't deny what that meant. "Damn it Sirius!"

"Why Sirius?" James looked confused.

"Obviously whatever she and Sirius argued about made her extremely mad and somehow she's taking that out on you." Katy stood up. "Do you want me to stay here or can I go look for Lily?"

"You can go." James shrugged and stood up and walked away. Katy watched as he began circling the Black Lake and after he was halfway around it, which was no easy feat as it was immense, Katy turned and went into the castle to try to find Lily.

Katy tried to sort out what had happened in her mind as she looked for the dark red hair in the swarms of people in all the corridors. She fought her way up to the library and was not disappointed. Lily was sitting at the back table with her nose touching the page of the book Katy suspected she wasn't really reading.

"Lily?" Katy asked quietly and sat down across the table from her. "Lily, please tell me what happened, no matter what it is, I won't be upset with you, I promise."

"You can't promise that until you know what it is." Came Lily's voice and she sounded like she was crying.

"Alright fine, but I will do my best to not be upset, now please tell me. Lily you can't tell me you are happy and I think you need to explain a little more to James as well."

"Talk to him, have you?" She still hadn't looked up from her book and her voice was still broken and cracked.

"Just a bit, yes. Lily, you like him, I know you do. Why would you end it with him?"

"Because I don't deserve him." Her voice was barely over a whisper.

"What?" Katy frowned. "Lily that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard."

"It's true!' Lily finally looked up, her face was streaked with tears. "He loves me Katy, Sirius said so! And he said I don't love him back. So I don't deserve him and it's not fair for him if I don't love him back, right?"

"Sirius told you that you don't love James?" Katy wasn't sure what to think. "Why would he do that?"

"He asked me how you know if you love someone and I didn't say anything because I don't know and he got mad at me for not loving James back and then I got mad at him and then you and James showed up and I left. There, that's what you've wanted to know all week."

"Lily, don't take him seriously. He doesn't know how you feel, so don't let him tell you how you feel." Katy moved over so she was next to Lily.

"But I don't know how I feel!" Lily wailed and Madame Pince shot them an angry look. "Sometimes I do love him and other times the very idea of loving him scares me to death, and that wasn't fair to him. So I fixed it."

"You fixed it by breaking his heart?"

"Don't say that!" Lily was crying again. "That's why I broke up with him, so I don't have to hurt him anymore!"

"Lily, you weren't hurting him. He didn't ask you to love him. You have no obligation to feel anything." Katy hoped she was making Lily feel better.

"But I don't think it's fair, he loves me and I don't love him. Or at least I don't know if I do. I can't, can I? I would know if I loved him. And I don't! So I can't!" Tears were falling thick and fast down Lily's face and she tore out of the library.

"Lily!' Katy shouted after her but Lily didn't stop running. She was quickly swallowed by the crowds of students and Katy lost track of her.

* * *

"Sirius Black you tell me what happened!" She roared when she entered the Gryffindor common room and found Sirius, Remus and Peter sitting on the couch.

"What are you talking about, Kate?" He smiled at her, but stopped when he saw her face.

"What did you do to Lily?"

"Nothing." He glared at the ground. "It's her fault.

"No, it's both of your faults. Do you know what Lily's just done?" He glanced at Remus and Peter who both shook their heads and shrugged at Katy. "She just broke up with James. She doesn't think she deserves him because she said it had something to do with you yelling at her for not loving him back." Katy glared at Sirius. "Happy?"

"Lily broke up with James?" Sirius' eyes were wide.

"Yes." Katy sat down on the chair next to the couch, still glaring at Sirius.

"Well didn't she tell you what happened?" He wouldn't look Katy in the eye.

"She told me that you told her James was in love with her and that she didn't love him back and that you got mad at her for it and now she's decided that since she doesn't feel the same about him, although honestly I think she does or she wouldn't be so worked up, that it's only fair to break up with him so she stops hurting him." Katy took a deep breath. "I somehow don't think that is going to sit well with James, so I vote you go and tell him why Lily broke up with him. And tell me the rest."

"The rest of what?"

"I know that isn't the entire conversation you and Lily had. You wouldn't just walk up to her and be like 'James is in love with you but you don't love him. You suck, that's horrible.'" Katy looked at him and he finally looked back at her. "So what else happened?"

"She asked me first," He said slowly. "About love, about if I love you." Katy wasn't sure she heard him right because his voice was so quiet. After Katy accepted she had heard him correctly she was completely disoriented and not sure how she wanted the conversation to continue or it she wanted it to continue at all. She wasn't sure if she was upset or relieved when Sirius mumbled something about going to look for James and positively fled from the common room.

"Well, that was… yes I think that…" Katy stuttered as she turned to Remus and Peter. "Do either of you have any idea what just happened? Where did Sirius go?"

"Off to find James." Peter answered. Katy nodded quickly, she was still hung up on what he had said just before he left, "if I love you" was going over and over in her head. Then her brain cut off the "if" and she got very weird looks from Remus and Peter as she had a stupid grin on her face as she heard Sirius' voice over and over saying "I love you".

"Katy?" Remus asked, waving his hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her thoughts and grinned sheepishly at them. "Katy, is it true what you said, did Lily really break up with James?"

"Yes." Katy frowned. "I don't know why she thought breaking up with him wouldn't hurt him, but she seemed to."

* * *

The next day was Saturday, and so they all stayed in the Great Hall after lunch to continue working on Patronesses. Lily went over to Mary and Aimy and the three of them stood off to the side, whispering together, so Katy was left with the four boys. None of them were very good company though, Remus was looking back and forth between James and Lily with a very concerned look on his face, James was staring longingly at Lily, Sirius was glaring at the ground and Peter was quite worried as his Patronus was not coming along very fast.

"Now may I have all the students who feel they have successfully produced a full-body Patronus line up over here please?" McGonagall asked at the start of the session. Lily turned pink and looked determinedly away from him when James managed to get himself next to her in the line. 

"Alright, now I want to see all of your Patronesses to make sure they are indeed complete." She went down the line, Daniel Wolf, Emma Westberg, Michael Nolen, Amanda Knight, Tom Holmes, Stephen Wallens, Anna Mattinson, Megan Crowley, Remus, Aimy and then all that was left were Lily and James. James was before Lily and his stag jumped out of his wand to get an approving nod from McGonagall who turned expectantly to Lily who gaped in horror at her own wand before turning bright red. "Are you unable to do the Charm, Miss Evans?" McGonagall frowned.

"No, Professor, I can do it." Lily said quietly and she did so, turning all the redder as a silver doe came out of her own wand. Katy saw her look away from James as much as she could and James look overwhelmingly happy and McGonagall look curiously between the two of them for a moment before nodding to Lily and turning to the rest of the students.

"Do you think anyone noticed?" Remus asked Lily at the exact same time as Lily asked the exact same question to Katy.

"What?" Katy asked, confused.

"Do you think anyone noticed what my Patronus was?" Remus asked again.

"It looked like a regular wolf to me, honest Remus, I think you're fine." Lily patted his arm reassuringly. "Now-" But Katy cut her off.

"Yes, Lily, everyone noticed that you and James have matching Patronesses." Katy sighed when Lily's face fell and then Katy felt bad for that sigh as Lily seemed about to burst into tears. "Lily…" Katy started but Lily firmly shook her head and fled from the Great Hall. "Great… this is just the perfect way to end the year." Katy frowned.

It took all her concentration to focus on a happy memory and once again she selected her memory as Sirius asking her out. She was interrupted on her fourth try, in which her Patronus was starting to take more of a shape and she thought it might be a bird of some kind, because Sirius had gotten it. There was an enormous dog bounding in happy circles around him, Sirius looked quite pleased with himself. Katy congratulated him with everyone else and went back to her own. By the end of the lesson, all but two of the Ravenclaws had a complete Patronus and all three of the Slytherins who had come had gotten it as well. A few more Hufflepuffs had it as well. Katy and Mary went outside together to keep practicing after it was done.

"_Expecto patronum!_" Katy and Mary both shouted together, pointing their wands forward and both hoping it would work. They both had an almost formed Patronus, although neither could tell what they actually were, Katy's was by now clearly going to be a bird, and a rather large one at that, and Mary's looked like something feline, a big cat probably. A few tries later, Katy felt something more in her wand and somehow she knew it would work, it was like her wand was ready.

"_Expecto patronum!_" She said and she was not disappointed, a large silver swan flew out of her wand and soared through the air above her and she instantly fell in love with it. She watched it happily until she heard a shout from Mary and upon losing concentration, her swan dissolved but she turned to see Mary looking fondly at a silver snow leopard that was prowling around her. The others had found them just then and all congratulated Mary without really saying anything to Katy because it must have seemed like she still hadn't been successful. She grinned and cast her own Patronus and got her fair share of congratulations as well.

Back in the common room, Lily was fiercely copying something out of one of her books.

"Lily, what are you doing?" Katy frowned and sat down next to Lily, although there wasn't any room left on the table.

"Studying, I can't believe I haven't started already! We've got NEWT's coming up in a month! They decide our future, Katy!" Lily shot Katy a reproachful look, as if Katy had suggested they not study at all.

"Okay calm down, and you may want to be a bit more gentle, you're shredding your notes." Katy pointed at the parchment Lily was scribbling on and Lily looked down as well. It had numerous rips and tears in it from Lily writing so hard.

"Oh no!" Lily moaned. "That's been hours of work."

"_Reparo._" Katy flicked her wand at the parchment and the tears appeared to zip themselves back together. Lily gave her a grateful look and went back to her copying. "Are you never going to change your mind, then?" Katy asked after a few minutes where Lily didn't look up once.

"About what?" She said distractedly.

"About James. Are you really going to refuse to talk to him because you think it makes things better between you two?"

"This way I'm not hurting him." Lily said through clenched teeth, but still she didn't look at Katy.

"No, Lily, you're wrong. You weren't hurting him before but you are now. When will you get that in your head? You don't have to be in love with him, and perhaps this will make things worse, but I think you must be or you wouldn't be making such a big deal out of all this." Lily looked Katy in the eye, finally, and she was completely white. She looked terrified.

"Say that again?" She asked in a whisper.

"You must be in love with him or you wouldn't make such a big deal out of this." Katy wasn't sure what Lily was gaining from hearing that twice.

"Am I?" Her voice was still a whisper.

"I don't know, only you know that."

"But you just said I am."

"No, I said I think you are, but you're the only one who can know for sure."

"Okay." She said quickly and looked away.

"Okay?" That could not be the end of the conversation. "What do you mean?"

"Okay that I'm the only one who can know."

"And James when you tell him." Katy grinned, hoping to lighten the mood but Lily froze.

"I have to tell him?" She looked like she was begging Katy to say that she didn't have to tell him.

"You don't… have to. But if you do then you should." Katy had no idea where this conversation was going, she wasn't sure if technically Lily had just said that she did love James. However, just then James himself came up to them and Lily turned scarlet.

"Lily, can you please talk to me? Just tell me why… please?" He really was begging Lily to tell him and Katy had no idea what Lily was going to say, but that didn't make her any less surprised to hear her answer.

"Because I'm in love with you." She blurted out and then seemed to realize what she had said. She shot Katy a look of pure terror and practically flew out of the common room and up to the girls' dorms.

"Did what I think just happened, happen?" James asked, his mouth open as he stared off at the girls staircase.

"I think so…" Katy, too, was staring off at where Lily had just disappeared, completely bewildered.

"She just said…" James began.

"…she's in love with you." Katy finished and they both looked at each other.

"She's in love with me?" James asked faintly.

"If you even think about saying you don't love her back I am going to murder you, James Potter." Katy said fiercely.

"Why would I say that?" James asked, frowning at Katy and Katy was immensely relieved. "Of course I love her, Katy, I thought everyone knew that." He smiled and Katy suddenly burst out laughing, she had no idea what was so funny, but she was laughing and James was too.

When Katy went up to bed that night, Lily was already asleep or pretending to be. She was out of the dorm room before Katy even woke up the next morning and wasn't at the breakfast table when Katy got there. James was scanning the Great Hall and apparently hadn't seen Lily all morning either.

"Where is she?" He asked Katy as they slid into seats at the breakfast table.

"No idea, but she's going to be in class, so you can profess your undying love for her there." Katy grinned and James turned a bit red.

"Class isn't quite the best place for that, Prongs." Sirius came and sat across the table from them. "But if you do it in Transfiguration, you can join Kate and me in detention!" He added brightly.

"Get caught snogging again?" James smirked.

"I don't understand why McGonagall is so opposed to it." Katy said, giggling. "It's probably just cause of you, Sirius. If you weren't constantly pulling things, the teachers would probably like you more."

"I'm sure deep down McGonagall loves us all."

"Oh yeah, that's likely." Katy raised her eyebrows at Sirius who grinned back. "Perhaps _very, very_ deep down." She laughed. "Now is there any possibility class will be canceled today?"

"Probably not…" James frowned questioningly at her.

"I'm just not in the mood to think." She shrugged. "Oh well, I can't have everything I guess."

"Haven't we got a free period after Charms?" James asked as the three of them walked out of the Great Hall.

"So you can tell Lily you're madly in love with her then." Sirius grinned.

(time for notes! _Katy, _**James, **Lily)

_Where were you this morning?_ Katy passed a note to Lily during Charms.

Just around, I woke up early and so I went to eat breakfast and when I got back from breakfast you lot were all gone. And I went to the library for a bit.

_Well… how are you then? I haven't seen you all morning._

Just fine, you?

_Come on Lily, a bit more please?_

That's all there is to say, I'm just fine.

_Okay then… Got any plans for after class?_

Go to my next class…

_You don't have a next class, we have a free period after this._

I'll find a class to go to then.

_No you won't. James wants to talk to you._

Why?

_Why do you think?_

**Are you talking to Lily?** A second piece of parchment was put on Katy's desk and she turned around to see James watching her hopefully.

_Yes I am._

**What's she saying?**

_Nothing much… I told her you want to talk to her._

**What? Katy, why would you do that??**

_So you don't want to talk to her?_

**Of course I do!**

_Well she was going to go crash a class so she didn't have to endure a free period, so you might want to snag her early._

**Gee thanks… Will you help me get her attention after class, and help me not let her run away somewhere?**

_I suppose I've got nothing else to do after class…_

**Thank you, thank you, thank you Katy!**

_Don't get too excited…_

**Why on earth not?**

_You're kind of cute sometimes._

**Excuse me? I, James Potter, am not cute.**

_Fine. You're extremely buff and manly sometimes._

**Thank you.**

_You're an idiot James._

**But you love me!**

_And you love Lily so tell her today!_

**And will you be doing any professing of true love yourself?**

_Care to elaborate?_

**You know perfectly well what I mean, Katy Cupit!**

_That may be, but I refuse to say either yes or no on the grounds that this note will likely end up in Sirius' line of fire._

**Well played.**

_I thought so._

Katy, please tell me if he loves me. For real. Lily slid the note back onto Katy's desk.

_Lily you really just need to talk to him. He wants to talk to you and I promise you it isn't so he can tell you he's not your biggest fan._

Alright, I'll think about talking to him.

_Yay!_

**What's going on? You look happy!** James had shoved the note he had back at Katy and Lily had looked back up at Professor Flitwick.

_Lily's going to think about talking to you! Which means that we will corner her and not let her in the common room and you can ambush her with your love in the corridor or something._

**You want me to "ambush her with my love"?? Do I have to?**

_I thought you wanted to tell her._

**TELL. Not ambush… two very different things, Katycakes.**

_Okay, okay, you don't have to ambush her. But tell her. Please._

**That's the plan, darling.**

_Shouldn't you be calling Lily that?_

**Wouldn't it weird her out just now if I started calling her darling?**

_Yes it likely would._

**Then I will stick with calling you darling as I know it doesn't weird you out, and if it did, I wouldn't care.**

_It's so nice to know my friends care about me. Now it looks like Flitwick is wrapping things up, get your stuff together and get your girl!_

**That was pathetically cheesy, Katy.**

_I don't care, go tell her you love her!_

Lily was the first one out of the classroom, followed closely by James and not very far behind them Katy and Sirius came out, laughing and following James as they both wanted to see how this was going to work out. Katy hadn't really been serious when she suggested cornering Lily, but Lily seemed to feel she ahd been trapped in the corridor in front of the Gryffindor common room and looked immensely relieved when Sirius and Katy rounded the corner.

"Hi you two, what are you up to?" Katy beamed at both of them and she and Sirius walked right on past them and stayed just on the other side of the portrait hole so they could still see and hear. Katy kept trying to inch forward and Sirius was holding her back by keeping a firm grip on her waist.

"Hi, James." Lily was saying in an unnaturally high voice. "So… what's up?"

"Lily, I..." James started, he was leaning forward, he seemed to be trying very hard not to run at her. "Why did you leave yesterday?" Katy turned and frowned at Sirius.

"That is not what he needs to be saying right now." She whispered and Sirius grinned.

"I... well…" Lily obviously didn't know how to answer that. "I don't know." She said quietly, not looking at him. There was a long, long pause in which neither of them looked at each other. "Katy said you wanted to talk to me." Lily said finally.

"Yes I did. I do." James took a few steps towards her but she still wasn't looking at him. "Lily, I wish you hadn't left yesterday."

"Why not?" She looked up at him and realized he was much closer to her than he was before. "You don't?" She seemed confused.

"No, I don't. Why would you think I wouldn't love you?" he asked suddenly. "How could you possibly think that, Lily? I love you! I always have!" James had barely gotten "I always have" out when Lily rushed forward and kissed him full on the mouth. He responded enthusiastically and they stood there, in the middle of the corridor, snogging. Katy was suddenly aware of what she had just seen happen and aware that Sirius was holding tightly onto her and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. Sirius pulled her backwards so that they were fully in the common room and pulled her up the stairs into the empty boys dorm.

"I guess this isn't very elegant or flashy, but I hope it's acceptable." He pulled her close to him. "I love you." he leaned down and whispered in her ear and she felt her chest explode with happiness.

"I love you too, Sirius." She said, grinning madly before her turned her face so it was looking up at his and kissed her and Katy didn't think they'd ever had so nice a kiss.

_awwww... well i hope you think it's cute too!_

_please please review!!_

_Lily_


	53. Chapter 52

_sorry for the delay... but here goes: oh and i am still not jkr. sadly..._

_SilverSkulblaka: thank you for the cookies! and yes the hypothetical chat was meant to be confusing... but if you got it in the end then perfect!_

_wolfygirl58: i'm happy you appreciate my sense of humor... i find that a lot of my friends just roll their eyes and sigh... haha._

_PrincessofNargles: i hope you're enjoying it and your camp thing was fun!_

_CindyLueWho: i'm glad you thought it was cute... i was hoping people wouldn't think it was creepy._

_Conterra-san: I'm not sure if i said this before... but yes, i am sure that deep down mcgonagall loved those four :P and if defiantely took me a while to figure out the whole "i'm in king's cross" but now i feel like a prize idiot for not getting it... _

_alright... onto the story!_

Chapter 52  
_Lily_

"What are you going to do after Hogwarts?" Katy asked Lily. It was their second to last weekend at Hogwarts; they would be taking their NEWT's that week.

"Didn't we already decide? We're going to fight, join the Order of the Phoenix."

"I know that, but where are you going to live? I just realized I haven't thought about that at all. I mean, my dad would probably not care all that much if I kept living with him, but I don't want to live at home, that house doesn't even feel like home. I've only spent like three months in it."

"Only three?" Lily didn't really believe that.

"Yeah, last summer was the whole summer, two months, and before that it was just one, after James and I were missing for so long…" Katy's face clouded over, as it always did when she was reminded of any of the past three summers.

"I don't know what I'm planning on doing." Lily quickly steered the conversation back to something less painful. "Probably try to get a flat somewhere; I'll end up renting something." She shrugged; it was weird having to think about living in her own house or apartment.

"That's what I was thinking, but everything is so expensive, so I was wondering if you would like to share, we could live together. I mean, sure, we've lived together for seven years so maybe you're tired of me, but I think it would be fun." Katy looked incredibly hopeful and even if Lily hadn't immediately loved the idea she would have found it hard to refuse. "We don't have to share a bedroom either." She added with a grin.

"Of course! Why didn't I think of that, it's perfect! We just find a little two bedroom flat and we share the rent! Where would this be?"

"London probably." Katy shrugged. "It's near everything, the Ministry is right there and I have a feeling some of the stuff the Order does have to do with the Ministry."

"Yeah, London sounds good." Lily grinned. "It's crazy… that we're out of here in a week, a week! And then we're on our own, legal adults."

"Lily, we've been legal adults for a year."

"I know, but it feels more official when you're out of school and living in your own place." Lily grinned at Katy. "I don't know if I'm excited or scared."

"Both probably, I can't wait to be free." Katy laughed. "I love Hogwarts, but I can't wait to get out of school."

"Katy?" Lily asked and Katy stopped laughing as Lily's voice showed this was a real question. "Katy, what's James doing? When I asked him about a week ago he didn't know."

"Well, I got the living together idea from him, he and Sirius are going to get a place and live there. They invited Remus to come too, but he told them he needed to find somewhere with a good place to go at full moon and I have no clue what Peter, Aimy or Mary is doing."

"Oh." Lily was happy to know that. "Do you know where they're going to live?" She hoped Katy would understand she was moving right back to just James and Sirius.

"No idea, but London wouldn't surprise me." Katy shrugged. "Desperate to be near James?" She giggled and Lily felt herself blush.

"I just want to make sure I'm going to see him a lot after school's over."

"Lily, we're all going to join the Order, even if you live far away, you'll still see him at meetings."

"I know, but wouldn't it be fun to live near them?"

"Life would never be boring, that's for sure."

"Katy!"

"Yes, it would be fun to live near them." Katy grinned sheepishly. Lily swiveled around on the ground to locate James and Sirius who were laughing at something or other a little but away from them.

"James! Sirius, come here!" Lily called and they looked up and smiled before walking over to Lily and Katy.

"What's up?" James asked.

"Katy told me you two were going to be roommates after we're done here." They grinned and nodded. "We were wondering where you were planning on living?"

"Why, going to stalk us?" Sirius asked.

"Something like that." Lily giggled.

"You're going to London, right?" Katy asked them.

"That was the plan, why?"

"Cause Lily wants to live next door to you, she's been badgering me about where you two are going to live and saying it would be buckets of fun to live near you two."

"And you don't agree?" James frowned at Katy. Lily grinned at her.

"No, I never said that!" Katy glared at Lily who beamed back. "It would be fun to live with you." There was a pause where everyone looked at Katy. "I mean near you. Near you." Katy was bright red and not looking at anyone.

"Live together? You want to live with us, all four of us?" James asked and Katy blushed even deeper.

"I don't think our house would stay standing very long if the four of us lived together." Lily giggled.

"No, but it would be amusing." Sirius grinned. "What do you think Katy? Would it be fun?"

"Yes, it probably would." Katy said, still not making eye contact. Lily could sense that Katy had no idea what to say and decided to intervene.

"But it would probably be really expensive to find a four bedroom apartment."

"Not with four people to pay the rent." James said.

"You guys are serious about this?" Lily asked.

"Why not?" Sirius shrugged. "Like we said, it would be fun." He was staring at Katy who was still looking at the ground. "But we'd probably have to put two of us in each room. That way we'd only need a two bedroom apartment." There was a long pause where no one looked at anyone. "You know, like the dorms, James and I would share a room and you two girls could share one as well." Suddenly everyone was much more comfortable, Lily had found it extremely awkward to almost suggest James and her share a room and Sirius and Katy share a room and while she couldn't tell what Sirius had originally meant, it was much better after he added the last bit.

* * *

Lily was still thinking about that conversation at the end of the day, she had no idea what had come out of it. She didn't know if they had agreed to all live together or if that was just a fun idea that wasn't going to happen. She distracted herself by cramming more information into her head as she prepared for her NEWT's which were only days away. Lily could not get her head around the fact that in a week she would no longer be a student at Hogwarts and she wouldn't be ever again.

No one mentioned their housing conversation again for a few days as they were all studying for NEWT's and on the third day, they started taking them. Lily was glad she had studies as much as she did, as the tests were full of obscure facts, but she felt confident in all of her exams. Four days of testing had completely worn out Lily, she collapsed into her bed that Friday evening after the end of term feast. She woke up the next morning, feeling rather giddy and not sure why.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she glanced round the room and saw it deserted except for Aimy who was rooting around on the floor around her bed.

"Just getting my last things together, we leave this afternoon." Aimy smiled at her. "You packed?"

"What? No!" Lily had no idea how she had managed to forget packing, but she had. She felt less bad when she glanced around the room and saw that clearly neither Katy nor Mary had packed either. "I need to start now!" Lily jumped out of her bed and pulled out her trunk. "_Accio_ clothes!" She cried and her clothes came shooting onto her bed from various part of the room. Aimy's trunk was also shaking dangerously. She eyed it warily and opened it and a shirt came zooming out and landed on Lily's bed. Aimy turned bright red.

"I didn't know it was yours, honest. I'm so sorry I almost stole your shirt!" Lily giggled.

"It doesn't matter, I think it's funny." She grinned, the jumping, shaking trunk had looked sort of absurd. She carefully put all her clothes in her trunk and then Summoned all her other things and began sorting through them to decide what she wanted to keep. She was still sorting when Aimy went down to breakfast and Mary and Katy came in from breakfast laughing together.

"What are you doing?" Katy asked.

"Packing and you should too! You know we leave in like eight hours."

"That's plenty of time." Katy waved her away. Besides, packing is easy, just Summon all my stuff, stick in the case and shrink it if it doesn't fit." She shrugged. "You already have all your clothes in there, what's all that?" She pointed at the assortment of things on Lily's bed.

"All my stuff, old quills, parchment, you know." Lily was examining a quill she had found, trying to decide if it was still usable. "You should really start packing. You can do fun stuff this afternoon if you're done." She frowned at Katy who sighed dramatically.

"Oh, alright." She grinned and both she and Mary sat down on their beds and packed in a similar way as Lily. They both Summoned their things but they stuffed their stuff in their trunks as opposed to folding it. Katy didn't quite do her idea of shrinking things, but she did enlarge her trunk to fit all her stray stuff. Mary followed her example and both were finished packing before Lily. "Coming then?" Katy grinned at her. Lily huffed and decided to finish later.

"I can't believe today is our last day here." Mary said, looking around at the Gryffindor common room. "I feel like I've lived here forever."

"Well, almost half our lives." Lily said and the three of them walked out towards the Great Hall where Lily ate a quick breakfast and she and Katy left Mary and Aimy and went outside where they found the four boys sitting under their beech tree.

"Almost done with school!" Sirius roared when they got over there.

"I can't wait to get away from rules." James grinned.

"You know there will be different rules out of school, right?" Remus asked with a grin.

"Perhaps, but there won't be any McGonagall to give us detention." James laughed.

"Isn't she in the Order of the Phoenix?" Katy asked and James' face fell momentarily.

"She still can't give us detention, though." James shrugged.

"I thought you didn't care about getting detention anymore?" Lily giggled.

"Well it will still be nice not to get it." James frowned at her.

"It will be weird getting on the Hogwarts Express and not ever coming back on it." Remus said, looking around at the Hogwarts grounds.

They all sat under the shade of the beech tree for the morning and then went in to lunch; everything seemed to taste better to Lily, knowing it would be the last time she got to eat it. After 

lunch was finished, they went back to the common room where Lily felt sad about leaving for the first time as she overheard some excited first years discussing how they couldn't wait to come back for their second year and how one of them had a younger brother who would be starting Hogwarts the next year also.

Lily went back up to her dorm room and finished getting her things packed. She sat down on her bed and looked around the room that had been her home for the past seven years. Katy came up after about ten minutes and didn't seem to understand what Lily was doing.

"Are you coming down soon?" She asked from the doorway.

"Yeah, just saying goodbye." Lily smiled at her.

"To who…" Katy glanced around the room looking for someone.

"No one, the room, it's been our home, I'll miss living here." Lily shrugged and Katy looked confused.

"Yeah, I guess I will too. Speaking of living, where are we going after school? I assume we'll both live at home for a bit, but we'll want to figure out where we're planning on living. And we should talk to James and Sirius too." Katy waved goodbye and disappeared down the stairs and Lily was left to wonder some more about whether she and Katy were living with James and Sirius or not.

* * *

No one said much on the train ride, they were mostly all staring out the windows, to Lily it was the last time she would get to ride on the Hogwarts Express and she was a bit sad about that. Lily didn't understand Katy, she hardly seemed sad; she spent her time on the train reading and whispering with James and Sirius.

"You know it's going to be years before we're back here." Lily said when they were on the platform at King's Cross.

"What do you mean?" Katy asked.

"Well, it'll be over eleven years, we won't be back until our kids are eleven, and I'm not planning on having any kids this year so it'll be more than eleven years until we have a reason to come back here." Lily said and she glanced over at James but turned red when she realized what exactly she had been thinking.

* * *

Lily wasn't sure if she was happy or sad about getting home; her mum had asked her a lot of questions about James as she had seen Lily and James exchanging goodbyes. The house was quiet when they got there; Petunia wasn't living at home anymore so it was just Lily and Mrs. Evans. Lily didn't know what to do during the day and was both happy and a bit surprised when James, Sirius and Katy turned up at her door one morning about a week after school got out.

"Hi Lily!" Katy grinned at her. "Long time no see." She giggled.

"Katy, nice to see you again." Mrs. Evans came to the door and smiled warmly at Katy and then looked her carefully up and down. Lily's mum was worried about Katy and Lily dearly hoped she didn't interrogate her too much.

"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Evans." Katy smiled back.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans, I'm James Potter." James said and Lily had to fight back giggles at how formal James was being.

"Hello James." Mrs. Evans said quickly and looked intently at James, seeming to decide if he was worthy of her daughter. She didn't seem to find any immediate fault in him as she beckoned them into the living room.

"Mum, this is Sirius Black." Lily pointed at Sirius who was standing a bit behind James.

"Hello." Mrs. Evans said to Sirius who smiled a greeting back.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lily asked, sitting down on the sofa and having James sit next to her.

"We're going house shopping!" Sirius said brightly and Lily glanced at her mum who looked a bit surprised.

"So soon? I know you mentioned moving out, but you've only been back a week." She frowned sadly at Lily.

"Well, just to look, don't worry, we aren't stealing her just yet." James said with a grin.

"You're moving in with my daughter?" Mrs. Evans asked, her eyes widening.

"No, Mum, Katy and I are living together; James and Sirius are going to live nearby." Lily quickly assured her mother who visibly relaxed.

"Well, we should be going. We're meeting a Muggle house seller person and we shouldn't be late!" Sirius jumped up and Katy stood up, quickly followed by James. Lily glanced to her mother who smiled and nodded and she followed the other three out of the living room.

"Alright, Mum, I'll be back this evening, alright?" Mrs. Evans nodded again and Lily waved goodbye and while the other three all said goodbye to Mrs. Evans, Lily opened the door and they followed her outside.

"So where are going?" Lily asked.

"London." Katy said.

"Yes I know that, but where?"

"No idea, they're directing." Katy pointed at James and Sirius.

"We're doomed!" Lily giggled and took James' hand.

"Ready to go?" Sirius asked and they all nodded. Katy was holding onto Sirius and Lily onto James as they both turned on the spot and reappeared in a little court Lily had never been on in London.

"Where are we?" Katy asked, looking around.

"King Court Road." Sirius said promptly. "There's a couple of flats open here and they didn't seem to absurdly expensive, course I know nothing about Muggle money so perhaps they're outrageous, but I don't know." He grinned.

"Alright, I get to do the talking as you lot will seriously worry the realtor."

"The who?"

"The, as you put it, 'house seller person' they're called realtors." Lily giggled.

"Sure then." Sirius said. "Lead the way."

* * *

The four of them tromped inside the apartment building. Lily still had no idea if they were all trying to live together or not. There was a woman in a business suit waiting in the lobby area and Lily assumed that was their realtor.

"What's her name?" she hissed to Sirius.

"Margaret Thompson." He whispered back.

"Ms. Thompson?" Lily asked tentatively.

"Yes?" She turned around and looked confused. "I thought I was meeting a young man here."

"That was me, but Lily here is much better at this kind of thing." Sirius waved at her and Margaret Thompson looked sort of confused.

"Alright, shall we go up then?" She asked and they all nodded. "Now Mr. Black mentioned a two bedroom flat that could house four people." Lily then had a pretty good idea of what the plan was. "Is that correct?" She asked. Lily looked at the other three who were all smiling and nodded. "Very good. Well, the first one we're going to look at may be a bit a small if all four of you want to live in it, but we'll take a look, shall we?" She opened the door of 4A and they went inside. It was nice, but clearly too small. They kept going. 11A was much too big, 3B had the same problem, 6B was much closer but the bedrooms were tiny, there was no way they could put two beds in them. They kept going up and Lily was worrying they wouldn't find anything remotely acceptable. They were just going to go up to the sixth floor when Ms. Thompson glanced at her watch and realized she had a second appointment that day in twenty minutes. They agreed to meet at the same time in a week. The four of them went to Diagon Alley for the rest of the day and were all back at their houses for dinner.

Lily's week went by quietly and she was much more prepared for James, Sirius and Katy to show up at her house the next Saturday morning. She was all ready to go back to King Court and go house hunting.

"Are there any special accommodations you would like to make sure you have that I should know about?" Margaret, as she asked them to call her, asked.

"We want electricity!" Sirius proclaimed happily and Lily had to work hard not to slap him.

"Well… you're in luck then… all these places have electricity." Margaret was staring at Sirius as if he had just grown another head. "Anything unusual?"

"No, the bedrooms just need to be big enough for two beds each." Lily said quickly before Sirius could demand anything else that would warrant awkward questions.

"Two beds?" Margaret seemed wholly unsure how to respond to that and it took Lily a little while to understand why. She must have assumed they would be living as two couples and each sharing a bed. "Alright…" She led them to the elevator and pushed the up button. "Do you mind if we don't take the stairs this time?"

"Lily… what's this box thing?" Sirius whispered to her.

"You've never been in an elevator before?" She whispered back, her confidence in the success of this trip disappearing with a thud.

"No… I don't make it a habit to travel in metal boxes."

"I thought they had a lift at the Ministry."

"I've never been to the Ministry, what would I do there?"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with it, it will just take us upstairs, presumably to the sixth floor."

Sirius did not seem at all confident in the abilities of the elevator and Lily was starting to think James and Katy shared Sirius' lack of elevator experience. They were all pressed up against the sides, holding onto the railings. The elevator stopped on the third floor because someone else had flagged it down. Katy was halfway out when Lily pulled her back.

"I thought you said we wanted to get off." She frowned at Lily.

"Not till the sixth floor, Kate." Lily said and the elevator started upwards again. Katy stood stock still, she was standing in the middle of the elevator and seemed afraid of moving. Her eyes were wide and she grabbed tightly onto Lily. Lily glanced over and James and Sirius who had apparently gotten over their fear of them and were now quite enjoying themselves.

"Can we have one of these?" Sirius asked with a broad grin.

"What do you mean?" Margaret asked slowly, she had been watching the three of them with an increasing sense of being afraid she was sharing the elevator with three completely mental people.

"Can we ask for an elevator?"

"In your apartment?" Margaret now seemed sure that Sirius was completely bonkers. "I'm afraid not."

Finally the elevator stopped at the sixth floor and they all piled out. Margaret led them down the hallway and opened the door of 14F. Lily immediately had a good feeling about the place, it had a decent kitchen, not big but big enough to be functional, a largish living room and the bedrooms were both very spacious, perfect room for two beds. Everyone else seemed to share the idea of it being a nice place but James and Sirius had ventured into the kitchen and found the various appliances.

"What does this do?" Sirius shouted to Lily and pulled out a blender. Margaret had sat down on one of the chairs in the living room and seemed like she was regretting ever agreeing to show them apartments.

"You put food in it and it mashes it up." Lily said, coming into the kitchen. "Now put it away, it's a normal Muggle thing." She added in a whisper however James didn't hear.

"What's this thing?" He had his head in the dishwasher.

"It washes dishes." Lily said and pulled him out. She shut the door with a bang and steered him and Sirius out of the kitchen only to hear a shriek from one of the bedrooms. They found Katy staring, dumbstruck, at a television set. She had turned it on and wasn't sure what to do. It was playing a commercial. Margaret had come in at the shriek as well and seemed fed up with the lack of knowledge.

"How do you lot not know about any of this?"

"We grew up living in… a forest… we backpacked a lot and were homeschooled. So we never had a proper house and we didn't have electricity growing up, but now we want to live in the city!" Lily tried to make it sound like she was super excited.

"Oh, you're siblings!" Margaret said and then she turned red. "I'm so sorry, about what I said earlier, I just assumed…" She broke off and left.

"She assumed what?" Katy asked.

"I'm guessing she means the bit about how she was surprised we wanted two beds in each room, she probably thinks we're two couples who are going to live together, which is a bit closer than siblings, but it will do. Now if she asks why we have different last names we tell her we were adopted." Lily grinned.

They spent the rest of the day talking with the owner of the apartment complex and figuring out how much it would cost and when they could move in and by the time Lily went home, she had a new house. They were going to move in to the apartment in another week. Lily hoped her mum wouldn't be too upset.

_sorry that was like a month is so quick... but i realized yesterday that i leave exactly three weeks from yesterday which means i either will be making all of this "And then a month later... it had been three months since..." cause i have like forty pages of later bits that have been written for a while which i will be most disappointed if i can't use but htey are all for in like two years so tell me what you would rather... me putting in the big events but letting you see how the story ends or me just trying as hard as i can but not likely succeeding in throughly finishing the story. and then i suppose i can just do the same-ish thing i did earlier and i could skip a year... i don't know, tell me what you'd like please!_

_Lily_


	54. Chapter 53

_Wow... i think this may have been one of the longer update waits i've had for a while... sorry! however, i will make it up to you by having this chapter be really really long and i am posting the next chapter as soona s this one is done!_

_no one reviewed giving me any opinion on whether they would rather me attempt to plow through the whole thing and probably not finish or if they want me to just put up the important scenes so i guess i'm going to keep on plowing until you lot tell me not to. and all it takes is a review! :P _

_oh this chapter switches to Lily's POV but i will be sure and tell you when._

Chapter 53  
_Katy_

"Katy, the movers are here!" Katy's father shouted up the stairs to her. She glanced out her window; there was a large truck with "Murray's Magical Movers!" written on it in large dancing purple letters. She hoped Murray's Magical Movers knew they were going into a Muggle neighborhood and would make their sign stop moving. Katy quickly shrunk her trunk, which she had barely unpacked, and all the other things she would be taking with her and stuffed them in her pocket before hurrying downstairs. Glancing out the window again, she was happy to see the name on the truck was stationary and happier to see it only read "Murray's Movers". She noticed a couple of neighbors walking around and so pulled her stuff out of her pocked and put it back to its original size before beginning to haul her first load out of the house.

The truck pulled up at King's Court Apartments and James and Sirius hurried inside where they opened a window, magically altered it so that things of any size could fit through and looked eagerly down at the street below them. Murray's Magical Movers placed Disillusionment Charms on everything within the truck and then levitated it all up and in the window. They had Lily and Katy carry a few trunks in the building so it wouldn't look completely pointless and then they waved goodbye and the entire truck vanished with a loud pop, however none of the Muggles around seemed to notice.

Up in the apartment, James and Sirius were sitting on the couch chatting. Lily pushed their trunks over to them and she and Katy pulled their own trunks into the bedroom they had chosen. There was only one twin bed in it and it was quite uncomfortable. Katy quickly Vanished the mattress and transfigured a leaf off the potted plant nearby into a much nicer mattress. Lily Duplicated her finished bed and they both spent about half an hour painting, decorating and getting their things situated. They went into James and Sirius' room where there had not been much work done.

"This is pathetic!" Katy smirked. "You still just have one uncomfortable bed!" She laughed.

"And yours is any better?" Sirius frowned.

"Loads better, actually." Lily said. James and Sirius decided to see for themselves. They walked into the girls' room and were stunned to see it completely finished.

The walls had been painted light blue with one darker blue accent wall. Katy had made her bed in a copy of her bed at home, with an identical quilt and she had brought her pillow from home. She had a bedside table and a lamp on it and she had made the provided bureau larger and moved her clothes into it. She had changed the rather limp potted plant on her side of the room onto a squishy arm chair which she had placed in the corner. Lily's side was much the same, with a big chair, a bureau, and a nice comforter. They hadn't put anything up on the walls yet, but Katy figured they would eventually.

"Want to do ours?" James smiled hopefully.

"Not really." Katy frowned at them.

"Not even just a bit? Katy?" Katy shook her head. "Jezebel, darling." Sirius asked Lily with a grin to match James'.

"Why not?" Lily giggled and to the boys' horror transformed the walls of their room to a sickly pink color after which James and Sirius didn't ask for help anymore.

That evening they had mostly settled in. They were just collapsing when there was a knock on their door. Katy got up to open it and found a small middle aged couple standing there with something warm and good smelling in their hands.

"Welcome to King's Court!" The women said, shaking Katy's hand and smiling warmly.

"Hi." Katy said, not sure who these people were.

"My name is Judy and this is my husband, Tom. We live two down in number 12." Judy said. "We always make some food for new arrivals on their first night to let them have time to get settled." Katy smiled, these people seemed nice enough so she opened the door wider and invited them it. "Wow…" Judy looked confused. "You're really well settled already… it usually takes people weeks to get this settled."

"We had a lot of movers." Lily said quickly coming forward.

"This is Judy and Tom, they live in number 12," Katy said and she saw Sirius frown when she said "Number 12" but decided to ignore it. "This is Lily, and over there is James and Sirius and my name is Katy." She pointed at everyone as she introduced them. "Would you like to sit down?"

"We'd love to." Judy smiled and she and Tom sat down in the chairs that Lily had transfigured to be actually comfortable. "Wow… you guys brought your own furniture, we've been slowly refurnishing, the furniture our place came with was ghastly. I can't imagine how you did all this in a few hours."

"We move a lot, so we're pretty used to it. But we're hoping to stay here for a while." Katy sat down next to Sirius and Lily moved into the last available chair.

"Well, if you have any questions about how to get places from here, please come by and ask us. You all seem so young to be living alone. I'd almost guess you were still in school." Tom smiled over his glasses at them.

"We just finished school." James said.

"Where did you go?" Tom asked.

"We were homeschooled." Katy said. "We traveled a lot so we never went to regular school."

"I always wanted to travel." Tom looked dreamily out the window for a few minutes. Tom and Judy stayed for about forty five minutes and the only time they had any problems was right as Tom and Judy were getting ready to go.

"Well, I take it you four aren't from around here, so we'd love to show you around. Why don't you give us a call sometime soon and we'll get you a nice tour of the area." Tom pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed a paper towel off the counter in the kitchen. He wrote a list of numbers on it and Katy was thoroughly confused. "Here's our phone number, what's yours?" Katy suddenly understood.

"We haven't got it set up yet, we haven't installed a phone yet, but we will give you a call when we do." Lily answered.

"We don't need to install anything to call them, my voice can carry down a hallway and so can James' I know that." Sirius was frowning at Tom, Judy and Lily.

"Come on Sirius, you took Muggle studies, you should know this stuff." Katy whispered in his ear. "Muggles use telephones to call each other, they communicate with them."

"Oh yeah!" Sirius exclaimed and it thoroughly startled Tom and Judy who said their goodbyes and departed. "I remember! Are we going to get one? Please can we get one?"

"Well, we sort of have to. If we want Muggle friends at least, it would be hard to explain why we didn't have a telephone." Lily said. "I suppose I'll figure out how to get one this week."

* * *

Lily blatantly refused to allow James, Sirius and Katy to be home when the phone installers arrived and so booted them out for the day. Katy knew Lily was assuming they would spend the day in Diagon Alley, but who was she kidding? James and Sirius really wanted to go into all the Muggle shops.

"Wait, stop!" Katy shouted as James and Sirius made to run up the street. "We don't have any Muggle money so we can't buy anything in town." That stopped them and they grudgingly agreed to Appirate to the Leaky Cauldron and go exchange some money in Gringotts. Back on King's Court Road, they had to pick a direction. Judy had shown Katy and Lily around the little shopping district a few blocks up from them so Katy pointed the two boys in that direction and off they went. Sirius grabbed Katy's hand and pulled her along behind them.

"I didn't know these were real…" Sirius mused when they got an enormous building with "King's Court Shopping Mall" written on the sign in front of it. "Is it really full of every kind of Muggle store?" He asked Katy.

"I don't know… Judy just sort of walked past it, after pointing it out. She was more concerned with showing us where we could buy food." Katy shrugged. "Let's check it out." She grinned and marched up to the door, James and Sirius just behind her.

"How do we get in?" James whispered, they had stopped a good ten feet in front of the door as it had no handles and no sign for push or pull. James took a few steps forward and the door slid open. "How did it do that?" He looked utterly bewildered. "How did it know I was there?"

"That's wicked! Muggles are alright." Sirius pulled James backward and allowed the doors to shut before sauntering up to them himself and having the door part for him. Katy just giggled and followed him inside, likewise wondering how the doors knew to open. As soon as they got inside they were confronted with clothing. Apparently this was a clothing store and there was hardly room to walk there were so many racks of clothes.

They fought their way out of the clothes and away from several overzealous shop assistants who seemed intent on selling half the store to the three of them and found themselves in an enormous corridor with door-less entries into countless other shops.

"I'm hungry!" Sirius said just as they turned a corner and found the greatest Muggle thing yet: a staircase that moved. You didn't have to walk, it just took you up. James and Sirius both bounded forward and jumped on it with Katy following suspiciously, she didn't trust this moving staircase. She was about five steps below James when he decided he wanted to join her.

"I can't get down!" He glared at the stairs, he was trying to step down but every step just moved upward when he stepped on it. Katy caught up with him though because her step was going upwards too but she wasn't moving, no way, she was clinging to the railing for dear life. Sirius tripped magnificently trying to get off and James and Katy were both more successful. Once they were on a new level, the question of food was once more entertained. James spotted a sign that said "Food Court" and while they didn't know why it was called a court, it seemed to be about food so they followed it.

They got to a large area full of small tables surrounded by little restaurants and café type places.

"How cute!" Katy grinned. The three of them sat down at a table. "Now what?" She looked around, there didn't seem to be any waiters and the Muggles were all lining up at the various places. "I think we go order what we want…" She wasn't sure how excited she was about that but stood up to go. However she didn't get very far because something large and invisible landed on top of her and crushed her painfully. "Ouch!" She yelled and looked wildly around. The air next to her was moving, someone magical was there.

"It's me." Lily's voice whispered and Katy jumped a mile.

"Why did you land on me?" Katy glared where she thought Lily was.

"Are you okay?"

"Do you need help?"

"Are you hurt, that looked bad." People were coming up to Katy from all around and Katy heard Lily dive under the table so no one would hit her and be worried. Katy had no idea what Lily was doing, but decided to wait a bit to ask. After assuring all the people she was just fine, she glanced under the table where the no longer Disillusioned Lily was crouching.

"What are you doing?" She hissed and both she and Lily crawled out from under the table.

"Lily!" James said, he clearly was also confused as to what Lily was doing there.

"When did you get here?" Sirius asked. "You just missed Katy spectacularly falling for no reason."

"No, no, that was me. I didn't know where you would be so I just concentrated on Katy when I Appirated, so that I would Appirate to where she was, but apparently when you do that you land on top of the person, hence her falling down."

"Jezebel 1, Katy 0." Sirius burst out laughing and it took several minutes for him and James to calm down.

"Are the phone guys gone?" Katy asked, wondering still why Lily was there.

"Yeah, I wanted to have you lot see if it would work, so I was just going to leave you the number, go home and have you call me in about five minutes." Lily said.

"We have a telephone?" Sirius grinned excitedly. Lily nodded and rolled her eyes at him. She pulled out a piece of paper with a series of numbers like the one that Tom had given then and waved goodbye and after James decided to go with her, they both disappeared with a crack after hiding behind a plant so as not to alarm the Muggles.

Sirius and Katy were now left to figure out how to call Lily. They didn't have a phone. However they over heard some Muggles talking about using a pay phone to call their parents and followed them to a little box with a phone in it. Katy had seen these outside, but she would never have guessed there were indoor telephone boxes.

After the Muggle girl they had followed spent about five minutes arguing with her mum about what time she had to go home, it was finally Sirius and Katy's turn. Katy was seriously doubtful that they could put in a few coins, punch in some numbers and talk to Lily, but tried it anyway. She was holding the phone to her ear when it started ringing at her and so she quickly hung up.

"I think I did it wrong. It started ringing… isn't it supposed to be Lily?"

"Of course not, don't you remember anything Burbage said?" Sirius asked her smugly and redialed the number. There was a pause. "LILY! LILY – CAN – YOU – HEAR – ME??" Sirius bellowed into the phone and Katy could hear some muffled swearing coming from the bit near Sirius' ear. She grabbed the phone from him and tried her best to ignore the mystified looks Muggles in line behind them were giving Sirius.

"Sweet Merlin, Sirius, don't yell!" Lily was saying.

"It's Katy now." Katy said loudly, but not yelling.

"Katy, just talk normal." Lily said and Katy tried.

"Can you really hear me?" She said in a normal voice and she heard a sigh of relief from the other end.

"Yes, I can. So we know the phone works, now you're just wasting money by keeping this call up, see you later." And Lily hung up. Katy frowned at the phone and hung up too.

"Sirius you probably killed Lily's eardrums. Apparently you just talk normal."

"But how does she hear me then??" Sirius did not believe Katy, that was clear.

"No idea, electricity I guess. Now shall we go home?" Katy asked and Sirius nodded. They went outside and Appirated back into their living room where they found James and Lily snogging quite intensely on the couch.

"Having fun?" Sirius asked them with a smirk and they both shot up, red in the face, staring back and forth between Sirius and Katy.

"When did you get back?" Lily asked faintly, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Just a moment ago… we weren't standing here watching that." Katy frowned and then started laughing. "Just how creepy do you think we are, Lily Evans?"

"Only moderately." James answered laughing.

"Lovely. Now what are we going to do all day?" Katy sat down on her mother's rocking chair, one of the few pieces of furniture they had brought with them.

* * *

"I want to see all the cute Muggle things!" Katy said brightly. She, James, Sirius and Lily were in the shopping mall and James and Sirius had gone off to look at who knew what and although Lily wasn't too keen on letting them loose, she let them go. They had been living in their new house for about two weeks.

"Katy! Don't talk about Muggle things." Lily hissed, looking around to make sure no one had heard her. Katy rolled her eyes, they weren't going to be stopped to ask why they were saying the word Muggle.

"What's that place?" Katy asked, pointing to a nearby shop window that had lots of big colorful posters on it, although, like all Muggle pictures, they were still.

"A movie shop, you rent movies and take them home and watch them."

"Can we go in?" Katy smiled, she had no idea what Lily was talking about and wanted to see for herself.

"I suppose, but be quiet!" Lily led Katy into the shop and Katy gasped. On a big rectangular box which was hanging from the ceiling were moving pictures, and they were talking.

"Lily, you told me Muggles didn't have moving pictures." Katy frowned and pointed at the picture box.

"They don't, that's a movie, all their photos stay still, but movies are filmed while the people in them are moving."

"Can I help you ladies?" a shop assistant had come over and Katy was glad he hadn't heard their conversation because Lily's response made it sound like everyone ought to know what a "movie" was.

"Oh… we're just looking, thanks." Lily said quickly.

"Alright, tell me if you need help finding any titles." He smiled and went to help another customer.

"I thought this was a movie shop." Katy asked, confused.

"It is, why?"

"Well that man only wants to help us find titles." Lily burst out laughing when Katy said this and Katy had no idea what was so funny.

"The title of the movie, you know, like a book title, he meant if we knew the name of the movie we wanted to rent but we didn't know where it was on the shelves, we would ask him and he would get it for us." Lily was still giggling "And shouldn't you know all this? You took Muggle Studies!"

"I didn't think this was all real! Besides, it's different when you just hear about it, none of this stuff works at Hogwarts, so how was I supposed to know what it was like." Katy asked and Lily shook her head with an amused smile on her face. Katy and Lily looked around the movie store and none of it really interested Katy until she found one whose title struck her. "We know someone with this name!" She said excitedly.

"We do?" Lily came into the children's section to join Katy and frowned at the movie in Katy's hands. "Who?"

"Wasn't she a Hufflepuff a year ahead of us?" Katy asked. The movie she had found was called _Mary Poppins_ and Katy could swear there had been a girl called Mary Poppins a year ahead of them.

"I don't know." Lily shrugged.

"Can we watch this?" Katy grinned.

"It's a musical for kids, Kate."

"A what?"

"A musical, the characters sing songs to show how they're feeling and what they want. I haven't seen that one in ages, I was six when I first saw it, I think."

"Please! It says she 'soars out of the London skies' and 'brings a carpetbag of magical adventures'. She's a witch! We have to see it now, Lily." There was no way Katy was going home without this movie about a witch nanny who sang. Besides, it was a chance to see a movie, and that was also something Katy didn't want to pass up. Lily sighed and took the movie up to the counter where Katy was upset that they took it away. "But I thought we got to take it home?" She asked.

"We do, but that's just the case, they're putting the actual movie in it now and then they'll give it back to us." Lily answered in the reassuring way you address a five year old who is concerned about something incredibly mundane. "Now we have to look for James and Sirius."

"I'd guess the food place. Or we could always try your whole Appirate directly on top of them method." Katy giggled.

Lily handed the shop assistant some money and received the film in return, the two of them walked out of the movie shop and up to the food court. Lily was not at all impressed with the moving stairs as she had seen them many times before and Katy was still very suspicious of them.

"Let's invite everyone!" Katy said as soon as they stepped off the moving staircase which Lily claimed to be called an "escalator".

"Everyone who?" Lily asked.

"Remus and Peter and Mary and Aimy." Katy said immediately. "Like a little party!"

"You want to have a party where we watch _Mary Poppins_?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"What is so wrong with _Mary Poppins_?"

"Nothing, it's just it's a movie for little kids." Lily shrugged. "But we could invite everyone, that would be fun. 'Course they'd think we'd gone insane, but…"

"We can tell them James and Sirius picked the movie." Katy laughed.

"Perfect… oh dear." Lily's attention had been caught by something and she huffed and hurried off in a different direction. Katy followed her and found James and Sirius, oblivious to the audience they had attracted, standing in front of a storefront window display.

"Why won't it move?" She heard James say as Lily pushed her way through the crowd of people watching them keenly.

"They can't all go to St. Mungo's must be somewhere else we haven't thought of." Sirius answered and Katy wanted to smack them in the head. They thought the mannequins would transport them somewhere. No doubt they had been rapping on the window and requesting to be allowed access.

"James, Sirius, time to go, don't you think?" Lily said hastily, pulling them away from the window.

"Lily, that shop's display lady isn't working properly." James said, pointing behind them at the snickering people watching them go.

"Yes it is, it does not take you anywhere. That is just St. Mungo's. This is a Muggle mall, there are no magical entrances to hospitals in it." Lily shook her head in frustration. "Now, Katy thinks we ought to have everybody over tonight to watch a movie."

"We get to watch a movie? That's like a picture where people talk and it tells a story right?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Yeah, so do we know how to contact everyone?" Lily asked.

"We can write them all, can't we? James asked.

"That's the plan." Katy said.

_

* * *

_

Lily's point of view, but the scene is mostly just continuing!

Lily had sent James and Sirius out, although against her better judgment, to buy some food for the evening. She had provided them with a list and told them not to buy anything that wasn't on the list. Remus, Peter, Aimy and Mary were all coming and she and Katy were busy Transfiguring the boys' room into a place where a movie could be watched as it housed the television.

Katy was busy changing the two beds into multiple couches and armchairs while Lily performed a few Charms on the television screen itself so that it could be properly seen from every angle of the furniture.

At eight thirty James and Sirius returned and, miraculously, they had been successful and not arrested or detained or caused any sort of public indecency or nuisance.

"Where's my bed?" Came an appalled shout from Sirius who had gone into his bedroom.

"It's been momentarily altered." Katy called back. "I believe your bed is the couch and James' is the blue chair and the other chair is James' pillow."

"You made my pillow a chair?" James frowned at Katy; he was in the kitchen helping Lily unload the bag of movie food. "So what exactly is this stuff?" He held up a bag of microwavable popcorn.

"It's called popcorn, you stick in the microwave and it… pops… I don't know how to describe it. You kind of have to see it to understand." Lily had no idea how to tell what happened to popcorn kernels when they got microwaved.

They waited another twenty minutes and at about ten to eight, no one had shown up yet. However all of a sudden, something Lily had never noticed before started ringing. It was a little box next to the front door. It had a speaker through which the sound was coming and a button that said "answer" next to it. Lily timidly pushed the answer button.

"Hello?" She asked, not sure who would be on the other end.

"Yes, hello. This is the front desk; we've got four people down here for you. Can we send them up?"

"Oh, yes please do." Lily said quickly and she heard the other person hang up. They waited a few minutes and then there was a knock on the door. Lily opened it and found Remus, Peter, Mary and Aimy all standing there. "Hi!" Lily grinned and ushered them all inside.

"Wow, it looks great."

"Nice place."

"I bet you and Kate did the decorating, right?"

"This is much nicer than any place I've seen."

All four of them had something to say about the apartment.

"Wait… you all live in here?" Aimy asked frowning. "How many bedrooms are there?"

"Two, Katy and I share one and James and Sirius share the other." Lily said. "Guys, they're here!" She called and James, Sirius and Katy all came out of the James and Sirius' room where they had probably been fiddling with the television set.

"Hey!" Katy grinned and hugged all four of them while the two guys just shook hands and nodded in greetings. It all looked rather ridiculous and made Lily laugh.

"Now will you show me how popcorn works?" James asked eagerly and Lily laughed even harder.

"It's not that spectacular, James." She rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. Seven people followed her, whispering excitedly. Lily hadn't realized she was the only Muggleborn of the group and that probably none of them had ever seen a microwave before. She opened the microwaves door and stuck in the popcorn. After turning the dial to two minutes, she turned around and was highly uncomfortable as they all stared at her for the full two minutes while the microwave hummed happily. It surprised them all when loud popping noises came from inside the microwave but none of them said anything as Lily acted totally normal about it.

"That's not possible! It's like a million times bigger!" Katy shouted when Lily pulled the finished package out of the microwave. "What happened to it?" Katy was utterly perplexed when Lily poured out the fat white popcorn that had been small brown kernels last time they saw it.

"Are you sure that's a _Muggle_ invention?" Mary asked.

"Positive." Lily giggled. "Now let's go watch a kid's movie!"

"A kid's movie?" Aimy asked.

"Yeah, it's about a witch who's a nanny for some dull people in London!" Katy said excitedly and Lily almost chocked on her popcorn. Lily ordered everyone to sit down while she got the movie started and thoroughly enjoyed their startled faces when she demonstrated that she could stop it, start it, pause it, rewind it and fast forward it.

(_alright... so yes i am about to have them watch the full movie... they will be making comments and no you are not necesarrily supposed to know who is saying what... if you have any questions about what particular scene one comment is in regards to or it just doesn't make sense, ask me and i will try to clear it up!)_

"How is she doing that? Sitting on a cloud?" Sirius asked with a frown during the opening credits.

"Why is that man singing?" Remus asked when they got to the part at the very beginning where Bert is making up songs for the people in the park.

"I definitely want a get-up like that." Sirius grinned at Bert's collection of musical instruments, all on himself.

"Oh Merlin no, nobody would ever sleep again if you were allowed something that banged when you walked." Katy shuddered and leaned in closer to him.

Katy was sitting next to Sirius on the couch with Remus, Aimy and Peter next to them. Mary had one of the chairs and James and Lily were sharing the other.

"That man has a ship on the top of his house…" Peter remarked when they got to Bert talking with the Admiral. Lily sighed; this was going to be a long movie.

"I wish I was in charge of time!" Mary said thoughtfully. "I'd always make time go really slow in the morning and rather quickly during school and work hours." She laughed.

"That man needs a life. Badly."

"Aww, those kids are cute!"

"Here comes the magic nanny! I love this whole singing thing."

"None of those nannies look very magical…"

"Well none of them are flying."

"Yes they are, look at them go!"

"Here she comes!"

"I wish I had a flying umbrella."

"That was probably the coolest job interview I've ever seen."

"Ouch! That's gotta hurt!"

"My mum has a bag like that! Only it isn't a carpet bag, it's a tiny little purse and it could hold our entire house!"

"How did she do that?"

"Magic, she's a witch, didn't we already establish that?"

"Yeah, but she didn't use a wand, she just snapped her fingers and the room cleaned itself up."

"They just jumped into the sidewalk! I thought these people were Muggles, Jez."

"We should try that. Who knew there was a whole other world down there…"

"Sirius, Mary Poppins is magical, she took them with her. And, James, there isn't another world, it's just the movie. This is what Muggles think magic looks like."

"You're no fun at all, Lily."

"Why does everything look hand drawn now?"

"It's animated. Muggles think that when you jump into a magical world it's all happy and animated."

"Bless them."

"I remember when James wanted to be a race horse rider person. Course the horses we saw weren't off a merry-go-round, but still."

"Katy!"

"Oh come on, we were like six, no one's going to hold it against you."

"You wanted to be a jockey?"

"No… I wanted to ride race horses."

"Yeah, that's called a jockey. How did you even know about horse racing? That's a Muggle sport."

"My aunt married a Muggle and he was into horse racing so he took Katy and me to see one."

"And James decided that was what he wanted to do with his life."

"Hey, you wanted to be the one who shot the gun."

"It made a loud bang!"

"You can make loud bangs with your wand, you know."

"Yes, but shotguns are much more amusing."

"Merlin help the world if someone ever gives you a gun, Kate."

"Super-what?"

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Awesome!"

"I've decided I adore Muggles. This 'movie' as Lily calls it, makes it impossible not to absolutely adore Muggles."

"Aww, the chalk pictures are going to be ruined by the rain…"

"That's a pretty tricky lullaby, I must say."

"Mr. I-Have-No-Sense-Of-Humor is getting annoyed with his children. That is not healthy."

"Merlin, that piano's out of tune!"

"Why on earth would going to buy fish be a fun way to spend the day?"

"She can talk to dogs?"

"I have an Uncle Albert."

"Hey, it's Chalk Boy!"

"You mean Bert?"

"Yes, him."

"Anyone know why Uncle Albert is floating… and laughing like a maniac?"

"My Uncle Albert certainly doesn't do that…"

"Laughing makes you float?"

"Katy, why did you just put a ridiculously strong Cheering Charm on James?"

"To see if he would float, of course."

"Oh, of course."

"I don't think it's working…"

"Bugger."

"You had to pick me, Katy? Why couldn't you put it on Sirius?"

"Cause I have a better view of you."

"Lovely."

"Oh, look, they're crying."

"Mr. Banks is rather angry…"

"Yes well his children are turning into absolute nutters."

"No, they're being children. He's the absolute nutter."

"That was quite an impressive little trick."

"She so is a maypole."

"Let's go feed the birds tomorrow!"

"Scary bank… I like Gringotts much more."

"Well, Gringotts isn't full of weird looking men in top hats and red flowers singing about banks and fleets of ships and dams and plantations of tea."

"That would drive me mental."

"You're already mental Sirius."

"Thanks, Moony."

"You are Padfoot, completely bonkers."

"Barking mad."

"Bad joke, Prongs."

"Sorry."

"I'm guessing we shouldn't ask."

"No probably not, Mary."

"Wait, you think those men were scarier looking than goblins?"

"Chalk Boy saves the day!"

"Will you stop calling him that?"

"Oh come on, Lily, we didn't see this movie growing up. How am I supposed to know his name?"

"Well Sirius, if you'd actually listen…"

"Listening is definitely overrated, Lily darling."

"Next time I see a chimney sweep I am definitely blowing him a kiss."

"Hey!"

"Blowing a kiss is in no way an actual kiss Sirius. Besides, if I blow you a kiss, I won't get any good luck."

"Did Jane just get eaten by a fireplace?"

"No, just shot up it. Merlin, there goes Michael!"

"Nice… face full of soot. Attractive."

"Hey, he's cute!"

"He's like five!"

"And therefore quite cute."

"Whoa… a staircase made of smoke. Now that's cool."

"And it really works!"

"A smoke elevator!"

"Is it just me, or are elevators sort of dodgy?"

"That's a bloody lot of chimney sweeps."

"Wow… that house is going to be very dirty after they all leave."

"Nice try, Michael."

"It was a good-ish attempt, I'll give him that."

"O for effort."

"Ouch… fired… that's got to suck."

"Wait a minute… old Mr. Banker Man is laughing."

"I think that's the first time he cracks a… what is going on?"

"He's floating upward."

"He just died. He just died laughing. Maybe Banks will get charged with murder."

"Or build a kite for his kids and become Mr. Family Man and get rehired in the place of the person he caused to die…"

"Could be."

"That parrot umbrella is very nifty."

"You already said you wanted one."

"It's over?"

"Wait… the same guy played Chalk Boy and old Mr. Banker Man?"

"Yes Sirius, the same actor played them both."

"What's an actor?"

"Honestly, you guys don't know anything! An actor is a person who acts in films and plays. As in that is their job."

"It's almost midnight!" Mary jumped up. "I'm meeting with my supervisor for the first time ever tomorrow! I need to sleep."

"Where do you work?"

"I've just gotten a job at the _Daily Prophet._ I've been there for about a week, and so now I have to meet the Head and I'm terribly nervous. Lovely seeing you all, I'll write you soon, we'll have another movie night. This was great fun!" And with a crack, Mary disappeared.

"I'm about ready for bed too." Katy yawned hugely and rested her head on Sirius' chest.

"I'm tired also. I think I'll get going then." Peter stood up and both Aimy and Remus followed him. "G'night." He waved goodbye and he too disappeared with a crack. Remus and Aimy, however, walked out together and Lily saw them go outside and appear to have a little discussion before Remus held out his arm and Aimy took it. They Appirated somewhere together and Lily smiled to herself.

"James, can you help me put this away?" Lily asked and pointed at one of the bowls of popcorn. She grabbed the other and James followed her into the kitchen. "What did you think?"

"I think Muggles are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. That was funny!" James laughed. "I still don't understand why they were singing, I've never noticed Muggles walk down the street singing before, but alright then."

"They don't, it's the kind of movie, called a musical. The characters use singing to express their feelings and desires." Lily giggled.

"Well, I want to get some sleep tonight, and I certainly won't if we leave Katy and Sirius in there too long, I doubt singing will be quite the method they use, but I would be willing to bet they are 'expressing their feelings and desires' as you put it." But James was wrong. He and Lily walked back into the bedroom and found both Sirius and Katy fast asleep on the couch where they had left them.

"They're kind of cute like that." Lily smiled. "Shame to wake them up really."

"Then we don't have to." James said and pulled Lily back out into the living room.

"What, we're just going to wait until they wake up? I'm ready for bed now though."

"Technically you can go to bed whenever you want. I'm the one who can't."

"You could sleep in Katy's bed if you like."

"Far too pink."

"You can change its color." Lily laughed and went into her and Katy's bedroom, followed closely by James. Lily felt a blush rising in her cheek as she figured out she had just invited James to sleep a few feet away from her. She and Katy kept their beds close so that they could talk at night before they fell asleep. She turned around and her blush deepened as James had taken off his shirt. He plopped down on Katy's bed.

"What?" He grinned at her.

"You know what." She frowned but a smile started to form so she quickly turned around.

"I'm not embarrassing you, am I?" James asked in a voice that was beyond clearly a challenge.

"Fine, you want to play games?" Lily giggled and looked him squarely in the eye and took off her own shirt. James' eyes widened as he stared at her, she only had her bra on. "Creep." She muttered with a smile at him and pulled a nightgown out of her dresser. She slipped it on and pulled off her skirt.

"Lily?" She heard him ask after they had both shut off their lights and lay in the dark for a few minutes.

"What?"

"We should do that again. Movies are fun."

"Sometime I'll take you to the cinema, that's the real movie experience!"

"The cinema?"

"Yeah, it's a movie before it's available on home video, you watch it in a big theatre and the screen is immense. It's quite fun. Muggles go on dates to the movies."

"Then _I'll_ take you to the movies."

"I look forward to it." Lily giggled. "But you should know, you aren't allowed to talk during movies when you see them at the cinema."

"Well that's boring." James said and Lily could tell he was frowning. "Well find some way around that rule, put a Silencing Charm over us so we can talk."

"Don't you think that's cheating a little?"

"Nah, no one said we had to live like Muggles."

"Alright then, but it's still cheating."

"Good night Lily."

"Good night James."

"I love you Lily."

"I love you too." And Lily fell asleep smiling that night.

* * *

The next morning, Lily was the first one awake. James hadn't ended up doing anything to Katy's bedspread and the result was that he was fast asleep under a pink flowery quilt, quite an amusing sight to start Lily's day. Lily went out into the kitchen and put on some hot water for tea, she glanced into James and Sirius' room which was still set up for movie watching. Sirius had lain back during the night and Katy had sort of fallen on top of him. Lily knew they would probably be waking up soon, but conjured a blanket anyway and draped it over the two of them. Doing this caused Sirius to wake up and it took him a few second to understand what was going on.

"Shh!" Lily whispered when he opened his mouth to speak. She pointed at Katy who hadn't woken up. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Sirius nodded. When Lily returned a few minutes later with the tea, Sirius was looking down at the top of Katy's head and stroking her hair. Lily set the cup down on the coffee table next to Sirius and then decided that it was rather likely Sirius would accidentally spill the hot drink on Katy and so put a few Charms on it so that it couldn't spill. Lily sat down in one of the big chairs near the couch and sipped her own tea. "Sleep well?" She giggled with a smirk and then stopped, hoping she hadn't woken Katy up.

"Not too bad," Sirius said quietly and then rolled his eyes and pointed his wand at Katy and murmured something Lily couldn't hear. "That's better." Sirius said in his normal voice. "How about you? Where's James?"

"Katy's bed." Lily grinned. "Now what are we doing today?"

"We need to write Dumbledore about the Order of the Phoenix."

"Yes! You know you actually have some potential to be considered smart. I can't believe I forgot about it."

"Was that an insult or a compliment?"

"Bit of both, I think." Lily turned at the new voice.

"James!" She giggled and blushed again, he was still not wearing a shirt. She glanced at Sirius and based on his smirk she guessed he figured out why she was blushing.

"You know I seem to recall the opposite of that happening a few years ago." James grinned and pointed at Sirius and Katy.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked.

"Sirius and Remus… er… found Katy and I asleep on the couch… rather similar to that." James cleared his throat loudly and didn't look at Lily.

"I do too, that was fifth year, wasn't it? Right after Sn…" Sirius trailed off and glanced at Lily.

"Right after what?" She was very confused.

"After Snape called you a… you know what." James said quietly, not making eye contact with her. "And you told him to go away in the corridor that night. I was there, you just didn't know. I couldn't sleep I was so mad at him and I heard what you said and I was talking to Katy after and we sort of fell asleep and Sirius and Remus found us in the morning and we looked rather like they do now."

"Oh." Lily looked away; she didn't like to think about that particular day. She had never really gotten over the fact that one of her best friends had said that to her. Lily had thought he was different, he wasn't like all the other Slytherins, but she had been wrong. She turned and noticed that Katy appeared to have woken up and had no clue what was going on. She was staring, wide eyed up at the three of them and then Lily remembered Sirius had put some sort of Charm on her and it was likely still in effect. "Sirius!" Lily said, nodding towards Katy. Sirius looked down and grinned sheepishly at Katy before waving his wand again.

"What on earth was that?" Katy asked blearily. "You were all talking, but you weren't making any noise…"

"You were asleep, so I put a little silent bubble around you so we wouldn't wake you up." Sirius said and Katy pushed herself up into a semi-sitting position. She didn't stay up for long though and ended up being satisfied with leaning against Sirius again, only this time she was actually upright.

_so i'm kind of hoping i get some reviews this time... and again, if anything in the movie watching bit confused you, just ask!_

_Lily_


	55. Chapter 54

_see? two chapters in a row! i haven't done that in a while... but oh well! cause i just did._

_still not jkr. sadly._

Chapter 54  
_Katy_

"Well, for an organization designed to save the world from Dark Magic, that meeting was quite boring." Sirius sighed and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. The four of them and Remus and Peter had just gotten back from their first meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and were now officially members. Being only just joined, they hadn't been assigned anything to do. First they would just be listening in at the meetings, starting to understand how the Order worked and then they would be following other members before getting their own assignments.

"What did you expect? You-Know-Who to come barging in brandishing his wand at us?" Remus laughed.

"Well, it would have been a bit more exciting."

"Sirius, you need to get over your idea that You-Know-Who would make life more exciting. First of all, he's a mad, crazy, psycho killer, and second of all, why would he ever want to kill us?" James frowned. "We're nothing to him, he's probably only interested in killing Dumbledore, he's got his little minions to do away with people like us."

"Cheerful, James, really cheerful." Katy sighed. "But he has got reason to come after us, Lily's Muggleborn, I'm the last Cupit and Sirius is a Black gone wrong. Anyone know how You-Know-Who feels about werewolves?"

"Well, if You-Know-Who doesn't try to do me in, I bet someone else in my family will. They're all perfect Death Eater candidates." Sirius said bitterly. "And there's no way the Death Eaters are going to give up on Katy, they seem madly intent on eliminating her. And we already know they're going after Muggleborns, so Lily's a target too. Honestly, you and Peter, and possibly Remus, are the only ones here who they don't have a reason to go after."

"We're surrounded with incriminating people though; I don't think being in the Order of the Phoenix is going to make the Death Eaters very keen on me." James sighed and sat down next to Sirius. "We've got to stick together, Wormtail." He laughed.

"Katy, you've got to stop thinking you're the last Cupit, your sister is still alive." Remus said gently and Katy flared up at him.

"That is _not_ my sister!" She screamed. "My sister is…" She couldn't bring herself to say dead, but didn't know how else to explain how she felt. "That's not her." Her voice was shaking, another reason she didn't know how to explain was Lucie was because she hadn't seen her in almost a year.

"Sorry." Remus said quickly. "I'm really sorry."

"Anyone hungry?" James asked loudly after a few moments of painful silence. "We have…" He opened their refrigerator. "…nothing. Why don't we have any food?"

"Because you and Sirius always want to eat at Muggle restaurants at the mall. We never should have let you two near there." Lily answered laughing. "But we could all go get some food."

* * *

They agreed to walk up to the mall, after Sirius and James protested anywhere else, but Katy wasn't paying attention to the conversation around her, she was listening to what James and Remus were talking about a little ahead of them.

"Where do you live now? I just put your name on the letters I send, but where do you live?" James asked and Remus didn't say anything for a while. "No one cares if you still live at home, Moony." He added with a laugh.

"I don't live at home."

"Then where do you live?" James frowned at Remus. "Moony?" He asked when again, Remus didn't say anything. "Right, well since you don't seem to have a home, I'm renting you an apartment."

"You don't need to do that!" Remus looked up, embarrassed. "And I do have a home."

"Then why won't you tell me where it is?" Another pause. "How about having us to dinner sometime, then?" James asked.

"No, it's really small. We wouldn't all fit."

"You're a wizard, you can make it bigger." James turned to Remus who didn't look back. "I'm renting an apartment under your name and making you live there whether you like it or not."

"Katy? Katy!" Katy was brought back to the conversation she should have been a part of by Sirius waving his hands in front of her face.

"Sorry… daydreaming." She said quickly and glanced at Remus and James, but they had both lowered their voices and were whispering heatedly to each other so she couldn't hear the rest of their conversation. At the restaurant, Remus took a chair away from James and made sure he was always talking to someone.

* * *

Apparently James won whatever argument they had because barely two weeks later, he had Remus signing a contract saying he wouldn't trash the apartment, wouldn't make any changes to the physical being of the apartment without express permission and wouldn't repaint without permission and wouldn't do a whole long list of absurd things to his apartment. James had gotten him a one bedroom apartment in their same building but a few floors down.

Remus however was gone a lot, and Katy wasn't always aware of what he was out doing, but didn't pry as his pride was already hurt a little by having to depend on James for a roof. Another thing Katy wasn't sure about was where James got the money to rent about a whole apartment by himself. She knew the Potters had absolutely no money troubles, but she was still a bit confused.

One evening, Katy was dragging Sirius down the hallway of the third floor, where Remus lived, as they had gone out to a Muggle pub and Sirius had decided he liked a certain kind of Muggle beer rather a lot, and drank a bit too much of it. He had gotten rather drunk about a week before and the elevator had not been fun at all. Sirius had been terrified of it and starting wildly telling Katy what his will should say as he was positive he was going to die so this time Katy took the stairs, but thought she would take him down to see if Remus was in. James and Lily had also gone out that night and Katy didn't know quite what to do to help Sirius. She was not disappointed, Remus' door was ajar, and she reached forward to push it open, but Sirius got there first.

"Moony!" He shouted and barged in. Remus' apartment was situated differently and you could see the couch as soon as you entered, Katy wished she hadn't decided to come and find Remus the minute she looked inside because he was not alone. Aimy was there as well and they were sitting on the couch together, talking quietly and, Katy noticed with a smile, holding hands. Upon Sirius' shout they both jumped up, red in the face.

"Sirius…" Remus looked at him in a confused sort of way and then to Katy.

"He's had a bit too much to drink, that's all." Katy said and Remus nodded. "Sorry we had to come interrupt you two." As soon as she said it, Katy blushed and looked away from Remus and Aimy who were also blushing.

"Do you like her Moony?" Sirius asked loudly and leaned forward eagerly for the answer. However he was perched on the kitchen counter and leaned too far forward and fell onto the floor with a loud crash. He picked himself up quickly and looked expectantly at Remus. Remus was not looking back at him; he was looking at Katy with a look that clearly said "please leave now before I curse Sirius into oblivion." "Moony's in love!" Sirius said in a sing-songy voice. "Maybe they'll get married!"

"I think it's time to go." Katy said quickly, not at all wanting Sirius to continue saying what he thought Remus and Aimy might do.

"I don't want to go!" Sirius shouted at her, glaring fiercely.

"Maybe I should go." Aimy said quietly.

"No! You don't have to." Remus grabbed her arm as she turned to walk towards the door.

"Yeah, Aimy, really, I'm terribly sorry we came in here, I'll get Sirius out of here." Katy went over and took a firm hold of Sirius' arm. "Let's go."

"No! You can't make me. You're not as strong as I am! Besides, don't you want to know if they love each other?" He grinned expectantly.

"Not really, no. Now let's get out of here, please?"

"No!" Sirius turned away from her.

"It's really okay… I'll come back another time." Aimy said, hugging Remus awkwardly and hurrying out the door before anyone had time to protest anything.

"Good going, Sirius." Katy frowned at him.

"Now she's gone!" Sirius said excitedly. "Moony looks angry." He whispered to Katy.

"Yes well, you just kicked out his date. I assume." She added, with a glance at Remus.

"You were on a date? Why didn't you say so?" Sirius shouted.

"I know that you may hate him right now, but can you please tell me how to fix this?" Katy asked Remus.

"You can't make drunk-ness go away, you can give him a Hangover Potion in the morning, but for now, just get him to bed, he'll sleep it off."

"Right. Again, terribly sorry about all this. Let's go Sirius."

"But he didn't answer my questions."

"He told me the answer, but it's a secret and I'll only tell you if we go upstairs to our house."

"Okay!" Sirius grinned happily. "Bye Moony!"

"Bye, Sirius." Remus frowned at him. "Bye, Kate." He sighed and Katy once again began the process of dragging Sirius up the next three flights of stairs.

"Okay, come on in here." Katy said as she pushed Sirius in front of her and onto his bed. "Time for you to go to sleep."

"But you promised!"

"No, I promised I would tell you in the morning, you must have heard me wrong."

"Oh." Sirius said sadly. "Is it morning yet?" he asked brightly after about three seconds.

"Not just yet, you have to go to sleep. It will be morning after you sleep."

"Know what?" he asked, sitting up even though she was trying her hardest to force him to lay down.

"What?"

"I think you're pretty."

"Thank you." She giggled.

"You are." He said earnestly. "You're the prettiest girl I ever met."

"You're not too ugly yourself." She grinned at him. "Right well, I suppose you can't sleep in those." She gestured to his clothes and then nervously tried to figure out how to get him out of them. She sighed and accepted that she was just going to have to do it herself. She sat down next to him and reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt. She had gotten about four buttons undone when he started trying to unbutton her shirt. "What are you doing?" She asked him.

"You're doing it to me!" He said defensively. "Why can't I?"

"You just can't, sorry." She shrugged.

"No fair!" He pushed her hands off of him and frowned at her.

"Well, it's my turn first." She said quickly, hoping he would forget by the time she finished. She took her time unbuttoning the rest of his shirt and slid it off his arms slowly.

"My turn!" He said happily and she stood up quickly.

"Not yet, you need a new shirt." Katy turned to his dresser, cursing herself for thinking he would forget that quickly, he wasn't _that_ drunk, just rather drunk. "Where do you keep sleeping shirts?" She asked.

"I don't." he frowned at her. "You lied to me."

"I didn't, I'm just not done." She said, knowing she was digging herself into a deeper and deeper hole as she did.

"But I don't have another shirt on." Sirius crossed his arms across his bare chest. Katy was trying her hardest not to look at that bare chest.

"Well, I'm finding you one to sleep in."

"I don't want to sleep in a shirt!" He protested loudly.

"Well you get to tonight."

"But I don't wanna!" He glared at her stubbornly and she had a feeling she wouldn't win this argument.

"Alright, pants please?" She pointed at his pants and held out her hand. Katy was not going to make the mistake of attempting to take his pants off and having to strike a deal with him regarding her own.

"You want my pants?" Sirius asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes I do, now please give them to me." Katy said and before she knew it, Sirius had jumped up and ran over to her and started kissing her. He had her head in his hands and was kissing her quite passionately and she was completely thrown off. "What are you doing?" She said after she pulled away and looked at him warily.

"You took away my shirt and now you want my pants?" He asked her with his eyebrows raised. He then started laughing like mad.

"Yeah, I'm trying to get you ready for bed… oh." Katy understood what Sirius had thought she wanted. "No Sirius, I don't want to have sex." She blushed profusely when she said that, she hadn't honestly thought about that before, but now it was in her brain.

"Yes you do!" He shouted triumphantly, still laughing like a lunatic. "You're taking away all my clothes!"

"If I wanted to have sex with you, why wouldn't I let you take my shirt off?" She asked.

"Cause you're playing hard to get!" He grinned at her. "I've got you all figured out!"

"Have you really?" Katy asked; she wasn't sure what to do. Sirius was still holding onto her head and smiling expectantly at her. Suddenly Sirius let go of her and did what she had asked. He took his pants off so he was standing there in just a pair of boxers, grinning at her. Katy felt rather paralyzed. She had never seen him even close to this undressed before and she thought he looked very nice like it.

"Ah… maybe you don't need help." Katy heard a mortified sounding voice from the door and turned to see Remus and for the second time that night, she was embarrassed to see him.

"Remus!" She may have been embarrassed, but Remus' presence gave her a perfect excuse to not have sex.

"Moony!" Sirius hissed loudly. "Moony, get out!"

"Remus, what brings you here?" Katy tried to sound natural, but she was standing about a foot away from an almost completely naked Sirius who was standing on his pants and she realized his shirt was still in her hands.

"Well, I decided you might need some help with him, he can be a bit of a handful like this, but I guess I was wrong." Remus' voice was unnaturally high.

"No, no, you were right. I'm trying to get him in bed." Katy said and then turned bright scarlet. "I mean, I'm trying to get him to go to bed, _alone_, and sleep!" She added quickly.

"Alone!" Sirius roared. "No way! You're the one who took my shirt and kept asking me to take off my pants! It was your idea first!"

"It was not, I was trying to find you pajamas."

"Let me help here." Remus sighed and stepped forward, he pulled Sirius away from Katy. "Second drawer from the bottom has pajama pants in it." Katy nodded and pulled out a pair. "Put these on." Remus handed the pants to Sirius.

"Moony why are you still here?" Sirius said, with a glance at Katy who blushed again.

"So we can talk." Remus said briskly. "Katy's a bit too tired tonight, but maybe another time, hmm?" He asked and flashed Katy a grin.

"For real? Not a joke?"

"Not at all." Remus said and pushed Sirius down onto his bed.

"Okay." He sighed contentedly.

"I think you've got it, do you mind if I leave? It might go faster." Katy asked Remus.

"That's probably a good idea."

"Well, I'm exhausted, off to bed for me!" Katy said and left the room.

"Isn't she pretty?" She heard Sirius ask as soon as she left the room.

"Gorgeous, not get into your bed."

"I'm telling Aimy!" Sirius yelled.

"Telling Aimy what?" Remus asked.

"You think Katy's gorgeous, don't you have a girlfriend?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Remus said and it was almost too quiet for Katy to hear.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"She's beautiful." Remus answered and then he was silent for a few minutes. "Please go to sleep Sirius."

"I'm not tired." Sirius sounded stubborn.

"I don't care, you're going to sleep."

"I miss Katy."

"Well you can see her if you go to sleep."

"No I can't, I have to close my eyes to go to sleep, right?"

"Yeah…"

"So when I close my eyes, it's all black."

"Well, if you fall asleep, it will be morning and you can see Katy in the morning."

"I want to see her now!"

"Well, you can't. Sorry Sirius."

"No!" Katy heard a mattress creak and then Sirius came running out of the bedroom. Katy didn't know quite what to do and so she tried to pretend she was asleep. "Wake up!" Sirius started shaking her vigorously and she knew no person could sleep through it, but kept her eyes shut.

"Sirius, don't wake her up! She's asleep, and you should be too."

"No she isn't!" And Sirius opened her eyelids and peered down at her. She jumped about ten feet. "See, Moony, she's awake!"

"Will you go to sleep if I do too? Please!" Katy asked in desperation. "I'll sleep in there, with you, but you have to go to sleep." Before Sirius could say anything, Katy ran into her own bedroom and quickly threw on a nightgown. She presented herself back in the living room where Sirius took hold of her hands and forcefully dragged her into his bedroom.

"It's too small." He glared at his bed and grabbed his wand off the table nearby it and made his bed about twice as big. "There!" He smiled at her and pushed her onto it so that she fell face first into the pillow. Sirius also created himself another pillow and happily got into the bed next to her. "This is fun!" He grinned at her.

"Sirius, you said you'd go to sleep."

"Do you want me to leave?" Remus asked from the doorway, he was obviously terribly amused by the two of them.

"No, stay here and help me if he tries anything, okay?" Katy asked giggling.

"I'll just wait in the living room, if you need anything, just shout." He laughed quietly and went out of the room.

Katy wasn't quite sure what to do so she decided to try to pretend to fall asleep. She started breathing deeply and closed her eyes.

"Katy?" Sirius asked but she didn't respond. He was silent for a few minutes and she turned over so that she wasn't facing him and opened her eyes again. His breathing had gotten deeper, more rhythmic sounding. "Katy?" he tried again and he sounded barely awake, still she made no response. He put his arm around her waist. "You're asleep aren't you?" he asked and scooted forward so he was closer to her. "Katy, Katy, Katy, Katy." He was repeating her name to himself and his hand found hers and he took it, still repeating her name. "I love Katy." He said after a few minutes and then fell silent. Ten minutes later, he hadn't said anything and Katy was still lying on her side, completely still.

"Sirius?" She whispered and it barely made a sound. He didn't respond. "I love you too." She turned around so that she was facing him and saw that he had indeed fallen asleep. She kissed his forehead and allowed herself to fall asleep as well, enjoying the fact that she was cuddled up with him.

_alright... so first off, if you think i did a lousy job making Sirius sound/act drunk, i apologize, i don't have a lot of experience with drunk people so i did my best._

_again... it would be great if you all would give me your opinion on how i should proceed with the story, so review!_

_Lily_


	56. Chapter 55

_sorry for the wait... this chapter was sort of hard to write, but i hope it turned out well! now since i have been informed of my inpending demise should i skip out on any part of this story... :P ... i am not going to, but you really ought to know taht if i just write it all, there is a very good chance it won't be done when i leave and therefore won't be finished for over a year from now. so unless you tell me you hate that idea, andi promise i will be writing as much asi can, i will just get as much done as i can._

_oh, this chapter has a POV switch and i am not jk rowling._

Chapter 55  
_Lily_

"Lily… what do these knob things do?" James called from the kitchen. They had been living in their apartment for almost five months but every once in a while there was still something that mystified James, Sirius or Katy.

"What knob things?" Lily asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Right here, on the stove." He pointed to the knobs with which Muggles turned on the stove and adjusted it's heat. They just used their wands.

"They turn it on, see." Lily demonstrated.

"That looks like way more fun than what we do." James grinned and pushed Lily's hand off the knobs and began turning them back and forth, so the flame on the stove got bigger and then smaller.

"James, that's dangerous!" Lily frowned at him. "You could light something on fire!" James raised his eyebrows at her. "Just because you could put it out and not get hurt doesn't make it safe!"

"I hate Death Eaters!" Katy came storming in the kitchen from her bedroom, gripping one long black curl and glaring at it.

"Erm… so do I, but what prompted that?" James asked, the stove forgotten.

"My hair!" Katy yelled.

"What about it?"

"I can't do anything to it! I can't cut it, I can't change it, I can't do anything to it!" She raged.

"Why would you want to?" Lily asked.

"Cause it's too obvious. It's recognizable, aren't we supposed to be unrecognizable for a lot of what we're doing? Everyone knows I have hair like this." She sat down on a kitchen chair in a huff.

"I guess…" Lily shrugged. "Change other parts of your appearance, I promise you aren't the only girl in England who has long, black, curly hair. And, Professor Dumbledore said we didn't have to look different tomorrow."

"But still! It's a Death Eater who did this and I hate them! All of them!"

"Right, do you know where Sirius is?"

"No idea, he went out a while ago." Katy paused, thinking. "Oh! He's out at wherever it is we are going tomorrow, checking it out. I don't know why, but he is." The next day was the first time the four of them would be out together doing work for the Order. They would be mostly by themselves, but other Order members would be in there as well. There was a Muggle Christmas fair going on and there were rumors of an attack on it, so they would be pretending to be Muggles out for the day. "Do we know where exactly it is?"

"Sirius must, so we'll let him take us." James said.

"James?" Katy asked, peering warily behind him. "You're on fire."

"What?" James yelped and turned around and Lily saw that he was indeed on fire. It was just his shirt, but it was fire nonetheless.

"_Augumenti!_" Lily said and pointed her wand at his shirt, the fire went out but his shirt was all signed and burned and blackened. "Told you so." Lily smirked.

"Well, Katy distracted me with all her Death Eater talk." James said defensively.

"Oh swell, blame me." Katy frowned at him and stomped off.

"Whoa… she was actually upset?" James asked, looking off at where Katy had gone in a bewildered sort of way.

"I guess." Lily frowned. "How can she do nothing to her hair?"

"Because it was cursed, I guess." James shrugged. "Who knows?"

* * *

The next morning, they were all bundled up in coats and hats and scarves and after Lily deemed them all Muggle appropriate, they headed out.

"Wait, James, you can't have your wand showing." Katy pointed to James' pocked out of which his wand was sticking. "Here." Katy created an inside pocket on James' jacket that was just the right shape for a wand and told him to put his wand there. They took the elevator, Lily still was amazed at how excited the other three got about elevators and escalators and all manner of Muggle things they came in contact with.

"So how are we getting there?" Lily asked when they got to the lobby.

"We have to take the Muggle bus." Sirius said. "How do we do that?" He turned expectantly to Lily.

"Well… I think there's a bus station a few blocks away. But where is the place?"

"Katy, you're still covered in snow." Lily giggled and brushed some snow off Katy's head as they walked inside the Christmas fair, it was in a huge auditorium, with rows and rows of tables all covered in hand-made Christmas gifts. Lily thought it was very sweet, she had been to a small one near her house as a child, but after she went to Hogwarts she couldn't because it closed before the Christmas break.

"There!" James hissed suddenly, they had been at the fair pretending to shop for forty five minutes and while they had seen various other Order members who were also pretending to be shopping, they hadn't seen anyone suspicious. "Right there." Lily looked and saw her first suspect. "He was a Slytherin a few years ahead of us and he was big into pureblood mania. Perfect Death Eater candidate." The man was standing behind a drink stand handing out cups of tea to Muggles.

"Sirius, Kate," Lily turned around to look for Sirius and Katy but they weren't behind her and James anymore. "Where'd they go?" She whispered frantically to James who scanned the room and then chuckled to himself.

"Sirius dragged Katy off to get something to drink." He said and Lily sighed in relief.

_

* * *

_

Katy's POV

"Come on, Kate, this one's open." Sirius pulled Katy over to one of the many drink stands in the fair, this one sold tea and hot chocolate. "I'll have a hot chocolate." He said to the man getting drinks, the man nodded gruffly and turned around to get the chocolate. He handed Sirius a cup of steaming cocoa with whip cream on top and turned to Katy.

"And what'll you have, darlin'?" He asked and Katy's insides froze. She knew that voice, she knew it well. It was a voice she had only heard once before but had imprinted in her memory and would likely never leave. The last time she had heard that voice it had been laughing cruelly after destroying a Muggle street and cursing Lucie.

"Hot… hot chocolate too, please…" She faltered, unwilling to look him in the eye. He handed her a cup of hot chocolate but nothing had ever looked less appealing. Sirius handed him the money and led Katy away.

"What happened, you look terrified?" He asked.

"Don't drink that!" Katy said as Sirius lifted the cup to his lips.

"Why not?"

"That was a Death Eater." She whispered. "He's the one who… cursed Lucie." Katy was getting a headache. Sirius paled and glanced back toward the man who was whispering something to the other hot chocolate man and glancing at the two of them. Looking around, Katy was horrified to see that every single drink stand she saw was being run by people she recognized as Death Eaters. How had they not noticed that before?

"They're all…" Sirius had clearly noticed the same thing she had.

"Death Eaters…" Katy finished; her breath short and her head pounding.

"You don't think they're poisoning the drinks, do you?" Sirius asked, staring down at his cup.

"If they are, it doesn't work right away, people have been drinking it all day and no one's copped it yet." Katy glared around at the small army of Death Eaters inside the room. "What are we going to do? They've got the Order outnumbered at least two to one." She whispered to Sirius. He didn't answer but pulled her over towards James and Lily who were chatting with two people Katy knew weren't in the Order.

"James, Lily, we need to talk to you. Now." Sirius said and his voice conveyed it was a real problem. They excused themselves immediately. "Look, the vendors." Sirius pointed around the room and James and Lily both went pale.

"There's got to be forty of fifty of them…" Lily said, staring around the room.

"And how many Order members are here?" James asked nervously.

"18." Sirius answered, visibly pale. "We have to tell them, although they may already know."

The four of them spent the next fifteen minutes conferring with the Order; about a third of them had noticed the Death Eaters.

"We just have to act normal, wait until they do anything." A man named Benjy Fenwick, someone who Katy recognized but couldn't place, suggested.

Katy found it a lot harder to act normal when she knew that she was surrounded with Death Eaters. They barely even pretended to look at the various trinkets and crafts and gifts.

Slowly the tables were starting to empty, people were talking about going home and Katy overheard one girl complaining to her mum that all the hot chocolate was gone so Katy knew it wouldn't be long. Sure enough, someone from the doorway alerted all the Muggles to the first unusual thing.

"Can I get some help here?" A large man asked. "The door's jammed." A couple of other large men all went over to the door and spent about ten minutes attempting to push it, pull it or otherwise force it open.

"I think it's locked." A little girl piped up. She had flaming red hair and was clutching an enormous doll. "It's lined up right." She pointed up when the men looked questioningly at her. Sure enough, you could see that the door was perfectly situated, not jammed at all. Panic was quickly spreading through the room.

"We're locked in?"

"Surely there's someone in here with a key."

"Maybe if we knock on the door, a guard will hear us." There was a rush as Muggles near the door began pounding on the door as hard as they could.

"You work here, don't you? Did they give you a key?" One Muggle, foolishly, asked one of the Death Eaters. Katy felt Sirius' grip on her hand tighten.

"Nah, sorry, ma'am." The Death Eater turned away from the Muggle.

"It's not going to open." Another Death Eater said loudly and Katy knew the moment when the first curse would fly was fast approaching.

"What do you mean? If we all try, we can make it go. Besides, they'll hear us out there." The woman who had asked the first Death Eater said, frowning.

"No they won't." The Death Eater, a big blonde man, said, a grin spreading across his features.

"Of… of course they will." The woman faltered a little.

"And what makes you so sure of that, love?" The blonde Death Eater sneered and his wand came out.

"What's that?" The little girl with the doll asked, she was still too young to have noticed the ominous air of the room and the fact that the adults were all scared.

"I'll show you, shall I?" The Death Eater answered and pointed his wand at the woman he had been talking to just before. "Just a little fun, you know." He smirked and to Katy's surprise, didn't do anything lethal. However, the Muggles were terrified, all he did was lift her up in the air and spin her around a few times. The little girl however, was laughing and clapping, watching happily.

"You can do magic!" She giggled.

"You want to see what else I can do?" He asked and Katy felt that she really didn't want to see what he could do. Unfortunately, the little girl didn't share Katy's fear.

"Yeah, please, Mister, what can you do?"

"Here's a fun one, it's one of my favorite tricks." The Death Eater kept his wand pointed at the woman who was cowering in fear. "_Avada kedavra!_" At the last minute he turned his wand to the little girl and she fell over dead with a look of avid anticipation. That did the trick, all of the Muggles were in shock and it took them a fair few seconds to realize that during this exchange the other vendors had all pulled wands out and had pointed them at the Muggles.

All of a sudden, half a dozen Shield Charms expanded in the air in front of the Muggles. Looking through the crowd, Katy could pick out the six casters, all Order members.

"Alright then," One of the Death Eaters snarled. "So you're not all Muggles, then, are you? What witch or wizard is protecting this filth? Come out, come out, wherever you are." He paused and no one moved. "Come out and play…" He tried again. "Very well," he sighed in a very put upon sort of way. "I suppose we'll just have to find you. _Avada kedavra!_" He blasted one of the Shield Charms and his curse hit a Muggle man square in the face and he keeled over immediately. Chaos ensued, Muggles started running in every direction, screaming in terror.

Katy and Sirius both pulled out their wands at the same time, still hand in hand.

"Ah, some of our magical friends are here." One of the Death Eaters leered at them. He pointed his wand at the two of them and a jet of yellow light shot out and wound itself around their joined hands and then jabbed their hands, stinging badly. Katy tried to pull her hand away, in a reflex to the sting, but couldn't, the Death Eater had glued her and Sirius' hands together. "Now you'll be together always." He sneered. "_Avada –_" but Sirius beat him, although he used a Stunner. The Death Eater shot backward and crumpled to a heap where he lay still.

"Come on!" Sirius yelled and pulled Katy toward the thick of the fight. Death Eaters and Order members were locked in combat and curses were firing off every which way. However, having over twice as many, some Death Eaters were busy torturing and killing Muggles. Katy was pushed by a masked Death Eater and for the second time that day, a voice chilled her heart, but this was a different voice.

"Sirius…" She hissed, hoping not to attract the attention of anyone else. "Back there…" She pointed at the Death Eater. She opened her mouth to tell Sirius who it was when a terrible scream filled the air, yet another voice that chilled her heart, but for a very different reason. Lily was rising in the air, screaming and writhing as a Death Eater flicked his wand this way and that, sending her flying off in one direction or the other.

"You know I recognized you, Mudblood Gryffindor, aren't you?" He was saying in a bored way, but you could hear the disgust in his voice. James was standing a little ways off, he, too, seemed to have only just noticed, and he was trembling with anger. And without taking a step, he raised his wand and ended that Death Eater's life. Katy took in a sharp breath, she didn't know if she would be able to kill a person, even a Death Eater. There was a roar of outrage from the other Death Eaters and at least five of them began advancing on James. Lily landed on the ground with a loud crash and lay there, perfectly still and Katy was sure she was dead. She tried to run to her, but couldn't, she was stuck to Sirius. She did the only thing she could think of, she sent Stunners at every Death Eater she saw, she noticed that Sirius was doing the same thing, although she thought she may have seen one or two green jets coming from his wand, but she wasn't sure.

"Run!" She shouted at the Muggles, she had found herself near the door and blasted it away. Muggles began trying to pour out but the Death Eaters noticed.

"No!" one of them screamed and put a curse on the door, flinging anyone who tried to get through it back inside.

Katy and Sirius were having a hard time, dueling was hard enough, but when you only had one hand and were attached to someone, it was even harder. Katy tried to get glances around at what else was happening, but mostly she was concentrating on the Death Eater who was trying to kill her. However she did manage to locate most of the Order members; Benjy Fenwick, who Katy's brain all of a sudden remembered used to date Mary, was dueling two Death Eaters at once, Lily and James each had a Death Eater, Emmeline Vance was attempting to protect Muggles, Sturgis Podmore, Elphias Dodge and Alastor Moody were all dueling Death Eaters and the nine other members of the Order of the Phoenix were dueling or protecting Muggles. Katy almost started retching when she saw how many dead Muggles there were on the floor. She was also terrified because she completely lost track of both James and Lily.

Then she heard the second bone-chilling voice she had heard, heard him shout something and turn around to face his next opponent, Lily appeared out of the blue and shot a curse at him which he deflected, but only just. Lily was immensely surprised that no curse was shot back at her; he just stood there, staring at her. She had no idea who he was and took advantage of his strange behavior and Stunned him, Lily, too, was not one to kill, at least not yet, Katy knew the day would come when she would have to kill someone, but wasn't anxious for it to arrive. Katy watched as Severus Snape flew through the air and landed in a crumpled heap against the far wall, Lily still didn't know she had just Stunned one of her closest childhood friends. Katy wasn't sure at all what Lily's reaction would have been if she had known who it was, would she not have been able to hurt him or would she not be able to forgive him at all and would she willingly curse him?

"I may not have recognized you last time, Cupit, but I do now. Tell me, how's your sister?" Katy's entire body seized up, the Death Eater who had cursed Lucie knew her now, she had no way of getting out. He grinned wickedly and shot a Killing Curse at her that missed her narrowly and for one horrible moment she thought it had hit Sirius. "So you know how to duck? Impressive." He sneered and fired off about four Killing Curses which Katy had to dive down to avoid, she pulled Sirius down with her and was pleased to see that the curses had killed one of the other Death Eaters. The one who shot it screamed with fury and his anger cracked the floor around which he was standing.

"Touch her and I'll kill you." Sirius turned around, snarling at the Death Eater.

"Well, well, Sirius Black. I believe most of your family is here today, surely you wouldn't want to miss the reunion. I'll take you with me if you'd like to see them."

"No, I'd rather stay, thanks for the offer though." Sirius's wand was pointed directing at the Death Eater, as was Katy's and the Death Eater's was pointed Katy.

"It could be fun, your cousin's over there, Bellatrix that is, and your dear little brother, he's somewhere too." Katy knew the Death Eater was getting to Sirius, which had no doubt been his plan. Sirius was shaking with anger. "But perhaps I'll just kill you both and we'll all be happy. Your family will be gone and yours will only be pure." He snarled at them.

Katy didn't know quite how it happened, but suddenly there seemed to be hundreds of Aurors and Order members and as she saw the Death Eaters mouth opening to cast the curse, he was blasted backwards and the only sound that left his mouth was a scream of outrage. Both the Aurors and Order members together were overtaking the Death Eaters, their numbers were now something that the Death Eaters couldn't deal with although Killing Curses were flying through the air every which way.

Katy heard Snape's voice again and she whirled around to see him standing in front of her and Sirius, his wand pointed at the two of them. Katy didn't hear the curse, had no idea what it was, she only knew that she felt like she had been slashed across her shoulder and she could feel blood on her clothes, she staggered, the pain was immense, she wouldn't have been surprised if her arm was no longer a part of her body and unfortunately it was her wand arm that had been slashed, when she regained the ability to focus her eyes, she saw that Sirius and Snape were dueling fiercely. Reaching up with her arm, she could feel the blood, it was an odd angle to try to feel, but as only one arm was under her control, she had no other choice. Snape suddenly howled in pain and although Katy didn't know what particular curse Sirius had used, it was obviously a painful one and Snape responded by knocking Sirius unconscious with the force of his next spell, Sirius would have been thrown into the air and crashed to the ground somewhere far off, but as he was connected to Katy, all that happened was the two of them were thrown backwards and then Sirius crumpled into unconsciousness. Katy shot a Stunner back toward Snape but she had no idea if it hit its mark.

If it had been hard to be connected to someone who was dueling death, it was a hundred times harder to be connected to an unconscious body. Katy could hardly move, she dragged Sirius over to a corner where the Muggles who were still alive were all hiding. Because she could do nothing else, Katy took to healing cuts and wounds, although there weren't all that many, mostly the Death Eaters were murdering, not wounding. After she ascertained that there weren't any other Muggles nearby who needed medical help, Katy did the only thing she could think of, Shield Charms and other simple protective enchantments around the Muggles with whom she was sitting.

"What is this?"

"How are they doing this?"

"It's not really magic is it?"

"Magic is real?"

"This isn't some weird performance is it?"

The Muggles who were still in control of their emotions enough to ask questions were bombarding Katy when they realized she could do magic but wasn't going to kill them. Knowing the Aurors would Obliviate them all, Katy told them that yes, magic was real and that the people in the black masks were bad wizards who didn't like non-magic folk. Not very many of them were listening to her or paying her any attention at all, most of them were crying over dead loved ones, the saddest sight of all that day, was a little boy, no more than four or five, sobbing over his dead mother's body.

The Death Eaters had realized they couldn't win and most were escaping some form or other. Katy saw one of them perform a new Charm on the doorway and then Death Eaters began running out of it, but when any Muggles, Aurors or Order members tried to get through they were still thrown back. The Death Eaters were escaping fast, about forty of them got away mostly unharmed, four of them lay dead on the floor and seven were out cold or otherwise impaired by various hexes inflicted upon them. There were five dead Order members and most of the others had sustained minor injuries, however Benjy Fenwick and Emmeline Vance both had to be taken to St. Mungo's. Only two Aurors were killed, and just three had injuries of a drastic nature. One had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse and was therefore shaken up quite a bit, but he was alright. The Aurors quickly bound and Silenced the seven Death Eaters, some of whom were coming to. Some other Ministry employees were called and came and the Muggles were all Obliviated and had their memories modified so that they thought that one of the drink carts had caught fire and burned a section of the room, as well as blown up a few things. Somehow in the Memory Charms, it happened so that the Muggles didn't think it had happened yet and the witches and wizards were told to Appirate home and in a few minutes the Charm would take effect and the Muggles would panic and call the cops and the Muggle police would have to sort it out. Katy didn't particularly think this was fair, but didn't argue.

"Katy?" Sirius' voice was very hoarse, he had just started stirring.

"Sirius!" Katy shrieked, turning to him and propping him up. "Sirius how do you feel? Are you hurt? Do you want to try to stand up? No, nevermind I won't let you. We'll just sit here until you feel better."

"Come on, Katy, we have to go, the Muggles are going to think something blew up in a few minutes." James and Lily appeared out of the blue, James' arm was in a sort of makeshift sling and Lily had numerous cuts on her face.

"But Sirius just woke up!" Katy protested.

"I'm fine, Kate, I can walk. I'll rest at home." Sirius said and with great effort and one or two almost spills, Sirius and Katy got to their feet. Katy noticed both James and Lily looking at them in a weird way, probably wondering why they wouldn't let go of each other's hands, but didn't say anything. Katy wasn't sure if Sirius would be able to Appirate himself and so she Side-Along Appirated him back into their living room. James and Lily both appeared a few seconds later and Sirius and Katy collapsed onto the living room couch.

"I don't want to pry or anything, but why are you holding hands? And why did you keep holding hands that entire time?" James asked and Lily's mouth opened in surprise.

"You held hands through that whole thing?"

"We had no choice." Katy frowned. "Right at the beginning a Death Eater glued us together; it worked rather well too, everything's harder when you only have one hand."

"You're stuck together?" Lily asked, staring at their intertwined hands.

"Yup." Sirius shrugged. "But it could be worse. If I had to be stuck holding hands with someone, I'd pick you in an instant." He grinned.

"Have you tried anything?"

"Haven't had time." Katy said.

"_Finite incantatem!_" Lily said pointing her wand at their hands, nothing happened, they remained as stuck as ever.

"Well nevermind, we can figure it out later, what happened to you two?" Katy said impatiently.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked.

"Well you're cut up and James seems to have a hurt arm."

"Oh, I got thrown against a wall." James said. "But I'm fine."

"And I'm fine too, just scraped up a bit." Lily shrugged.

"Lily," Katy said slowly, she knew it wouldn't be appreciated, but felt Lily ought to know. "Lily, Snape was there." As she expected, Lily paled and her face got a dark cloud around it. "He's the one who you Stunned, you know, when he didn't curse you."

"Katy!" James shouted suddenly. "You didn't tell us you got hurt!"

"You're not Healed?" Sirius turned to her, frowning.

"I forgot about it." Katy said, and it was true, she had completely forgotten that she had been hurt.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"Well, I don't know what spell was used but it sort of cut me, slashed me more like." She took a breath. "It was Snape." She said quietly, not looking at Lily.

"He did that to you?" Sirius roared and jumped up causing both he and Katy to fall to the floor. "Sorry." He said when they got back on the couch.

"Yeah, and then you kept doing something, Stinging Hex maybe, and then he Stunned you. That's when I had to leave the fight, cause I couldn't hardly stand up so I went over and I Healed a few Muggles who had been hurt."

"Well, let me see it." Lily stood up and walked over to Katy. "Do you mind?" She asked and Katy shrugged. Katy unbuttoned her coat and pulled it off on her free side and bunched it up on her joined side. Lily turned a little red and nodded at Katy again and Katy sighed, she had known but wasn't quite sure how to go about trying to take off her sweater, in the end she did what she had done with the coat: took it off on the free side and bunched it up and the joined side. Katy was glad she had on a tank top. When her sweater moved out of the way, everyone stared, alarmed, at her shoulder. There was a long, still bleeding, gash across her shoulder and chest. "James, in the cupboard next to my bureau there are some Potions, can you get them please?" He hurried off and returned with about eight small vials. "I bought them last week in case something like this happened. Here, drink." She ordered and Katy downed one of the vials and felt consciousness leave.

* * *

When Katy woke up, she was in a bed and Sirius was lying next to her, still attached. He was reading a book but it didn't look like it was by choice. He was glaring at the book and shooting dark glances out the door and Katy registered she was in James and Sirius' room, probably in Sirius' bed. She reached her free hand up and felt a long scar across her shoulder and chest. Her movement had attracted Sirius' attention and he had put his book down without a glimmer of hesitation.

"Katy! Do you feel alright?" He asked quickly. "She's awake!" He shouted behind him out the door and Lily and James came running in immediately, followed, to Katy's immense surprise, by Professor Flitwick. She found it a bit odd to see a teacher in her house, but didn't voice that.

"Professor…" She smiled in a nervous greeting, unsure of what to do.

"I went to see Dumbledore and ask what he thought we could do about your hands being glued together and he suggested Professor Flitwick come and have a look at it." Lily said.

"Oh." Katy said and then frowned. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About a day." James said and Katy gaped at him.

"A day?" She frowned. "A day?"

"Yeah, now let's see if Professor Flitwick can fix that." Lily pointed at her and Sirius' joined hands. "All we've tried is _finite incantatem_. It didn't do a thing."

Flitwick spent over an hour trying various spells and countercharms, but nothing changed, once something that felt similar to a Stinging Hex caused large amounts of pain, but that was really the only exciting thing that happened. He said he would return the next day and try some more and took his leave.

"So we still don't know what happened?" Katy asked.

"Yeah and we have whoever came up with wordless spells to thank." Sirius frowned.

It wasn't so hard to spend the day attached to Sirius, as no one was attacking them and they could both easily do the same thing. They had agreed that Sirius and Katy would have to share a bed and James would sleep in Katy's. Katy blushed, remembering the last time she and Sirius had shared a bed and the particular reason. Remembering that night, Katy decided she was going to have to ask Remus if anything was happening between him and Aimy.

That evening was the first time it was awkward for Katy. She had gotten a nightdress out of her own room and taken it back into Sirius' room where the two of them were attempting to figure out how to get changed. Sirius didn't really mind, joking about how Katy had seen him without a shirt and pants before, making her blush some more, but Katy wasn't quite sure what to do. She felt a little embarrassed taking her clothes off in front of him but she couldn't very well ask him to leave so she settled with asking him to turn around. Katy stepped into the nightgown and pulled it up, putting her free arm through the sleeve, and, getting her head through that section, but the joined arm's sleeve was just left hanging. She had unsown the seams on the sleeve of her sweater and tank top and pulled them off before she got her nightgown around her top.

"Done." She said quietly and Sirius turned back around grinning at her.

That night neither of them could get comfortable, it seemed like whenever one of them was remotely comfortable, the position they were in seemed to be highly uncomfortable for the other one.

"Maybe we just accept we won't be able to sleep?" Sirius said after they had been trying to fall asleep for an hour and a half.

"I guess." Katy sighed. "Sorry about this…"

"It's not your fault, but what do we do? How can we amuse ourselves for the next eight hours?"

They ended up deciding to turn on the TV. Lily was not very fond of TV and so, as much as they wanted to, they didn't watch it very much. Katy however, was terribly fond of the TV. She thought it was a remarkable invention and could provide hours of amusement. The TV announcer said it was playing a rerun of an American series called M.A.S.H. the basic gist of the show was a bunch of very odd men and women who all lived in a camp during the Korean war. It was quite funny and Katy and Sirius both enjoyed it very much, they watched two episodes of it in a row and then the TV switched off.

"Did you turn it off?" Sirius frowned to Katy.

"Nope, did you?" She looked at the remote which was lying on the bed in between them.

"Apparently it doesn't work in the middle of the night."

Katy turned to Sirius and sighed.

"I'm tired." She frowned. "I hate Death Eaters. I want to sleep."

"You could go and find one of Lily's sleep potions." Sirius grinned. "You were out like a light for a whole day. A whole day, which I might add, I had to sit in bed reading the books Lily gave me."

"What a sacrifice, how can I ever thank you?" Katy said, rolling her eyes.

"I'll think of something." Sirius grinned mischievously at her.

"Oh ha, ha." She said, trying, and failing, to keep a straight face.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked, his eyes dancing.

"You know what's funny, you thought it first."

"Thought what?"

"Don't try to pin this on me." Katy sat up and crossed her arm at him.

"Pin what? Why won't you just tell me what you're thinking, Kate? Unless you're too embarrassed…" He raised his eyebrows and sat up as well.

"You're the one who… hey!" Katy frowned at him. "Stop confusing me."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did, you messed with my mind. You're putting words and ideas in my head and I don't like it."

"You know you look ridiculous, trying to cross your one arm." He smirked.

"Just, out of curiosity, do you think it helps you get the girl to want to… do anything… to tell her she looks ridiculous?" Katy smirked back and Sirius' smirk disappeared.

"Ha! You said it first!" He laughed. "I win."

"No one ever said it was a competition." She glared at him.

"Remember that stupid bet you and James made?"

"The one you forced me to lose?"

"The very same. That was ridiculous, whatever possessed you to agree to it?"

"I thought James would lose in about two minutes."

"And all it accomplished was James and Lily snogging." Sirius sighed heavily.

"That was so weird…" Katy shook her head, laughing at the memory. "I wonder when Lily started liking James."

"She probably just liked him cause he was a good snogger." Sirius shrugged.

"And you would know how…?" Katy giggled and Sirius glared at her. Eventually they both fell asleep, but neither of them slept very well as it was hard to get comfortable.

_so that was my first death eater battle order encounter thing... did it work? and yes i know that technically regulus is still in school but i figure his parent or bellatrix got him out... seems like something they would do._

_please review!_

_Lily_


	57. Chapter 56

_alright, so most of the chapters are seeming like they have a POV switch so I'm going to stop saying they will in this little beginning thing, but I will keep telling you when it happens. thank you thank you to loverofbooks20 for consitantly reviewing! that makes my day so happy!!_

_still not jk rowling and i likely will never be. i can keep dreaming though... haha._

Chapter 56  
_Lily_

Lily hadn't ever thought about watching someone die. It had never occurred to her that she would ever be in a situation where someone died, sure she had known her mum would die at some point but she'd never thought about seeing it happen. That had all changed when she joined the Order, but she still didn't think about seeing death. So when the letter came from her sister, the letter saying their mother had been hit by a car and was in the hospital, Lily was all the more terrified. Even though she didn't talk about this stuff with her mother, she didn't tell her how many Killing Curses had been aimed at her, but knowing her mother was there to talk to, had always somehow been a comfort to Lily.

Lily had been surprised to get a letter from Petunia, she had written her soon after she, James, Sirius and Katy had moved into their apartment, telling Petunia new address, but she didn't think Petunia would have cared.

That letter shook her up; her mother had been in a car crash, she had been hit by a drunk driver, at least that's what Petunia said she thought. Lily had wasted no time, glancing at the return address she Appirated to the place and found herself in front of a high-rise flat complex. She went in and told the guard she was looking for Petunia Evans, he pointed her toward the front desk.

"Hello," She began, talking to the woman in the lobby. "I'm looking for my sister, Petunia Evans, I know she lives here, but I don't know which flat is hers. I'm Lily, Lily Evans."

"Yes, thank you, Miss Evans." The secretary said briskly. "She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed it. "Miss Evans? … Yes your sister is here to see you… No I didn't ask, it would have been rude… Can I send her up? … Thank you Miss Evans. She's the fourth floor." The lady turned back to her papers and Lily went to find an elevator. She got out on the fourth floor, there was a small entry area and then the door to Petunia's flat, Lily knocked and waited. After what seemed like rather a long time, the door opened and Petunia was standing there. She was wearing a clean, pressed white blouse and a knee length salmon skirt, she had on heels that matched her skirt and Lily found herself feeling embarrassed and like she didn't measure up when she remembered all she had on was her pajamas. She had been in the kitchen making a cup of tea waiting for the others to wake up when she read the letter.

"Oh, hi." Petunia said with a frown. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"I got your letter, is Mum alright? I didn't know when you sent it." Lily asked quickly.

"No she isn't. She's in the hospital and the doctors say they don't know if she'll wake up." Petunia said and for the first time in a few years, Lily felt like Petunia actually had some compassion for her.

"Can we go and see her?" Lily asked.

"In what your wearing?" Petunia asked doubtfully.

"Are your roommates awake?"

"No, not yet, why?" Lily quickly Transfigured her pajamas into a nice looking Muggle outfit and ignored Petunia's appalled look.

"Let's go, do I look suitable?" She asked her sister who nodded. She went to one of the closed doors out of the living room.

"Shirley, my sister and I are going to visit our mother." She said through the door.

"You live with Shirley?" Lily raised her eyebrows and asked when they had gotten in the elevator.

"Shirley is a very nice person, and a normal one as well."

"Is she?" Lily frowned. "So what exactly happened to Mum?"

"She was in her car and she was hit by some drunk people, that's all I know." Petunia said and again Lily thought there was some compassion in her sister's tone.

"You know I can get us there a lot quicker than driving." Lily offered though she rather knew Petunia wouldn't want to travel by magic.

"I am not using… magic." Petunia whispered the last word, glancing fearfully around to make sure no one had heard. Lily sighed, if she hadn't wanted to be keep on semi-good terms with her sister she would have either grabbed her and Appirated so she had no choice or told her she would meet her there and Appirated herself. However, in the interest of promoting peace, she decided to take a taxi with Petunia.

_

* * *

_

Katy's POV

Katy woke up and lay in bed for a few minutes. She turned over and saw that Sirius was still fast asleep. Grabbing her dressing gown, which she wrapped around herself, she went out in the living room and was surprised not to find Lily sitting with a book and a cup of tea waiting for someone to wake up. It had been eight months since they had moved in and almost every morning began with Lily reading a book and drinking a cup of tea.

It had been a few months since the Christmas fair attack. Professor Flitwick had found a way to fix the hand holding Charm the next day but Katy had been incredibly reluctant to move back into her own room, she decided she liked sleeping in the same room as Sirius, she liked sharing a bed with him, she liked being able to cuddle up with him. She and Sirius had, without really telling Lily and James, moved all of her things into Sirius and James' room and made the bed a bit bigger and more comfortable for two people. Lily and James had been rather surprised to figure out what had happened, but, Katy had noticed, did not complain once and very quickly moved James' things into Lily's room. Katy had loved the new arrangements, everyone had.

Katy poked her head in the other bedroom, and was still more surprised that Lily was not in it, James, like Sirius, was fast asleep but Lily was gone. Katy noticed Lily's book open and folded upside down to keep her page on the coffee table in the living room, there was a cup of tea on the kitchen counter which Katy found a bit odd, Lily never left her tea undrunk. Katy decided to go downstairs and see if Remus and Aimy were there.

* * *

Aimy had convinced Remus to agree to do more than have one date a year a few months earlier and they had just decided to move in together, but neither had a place big enough for two, so they had bought a house which they could live in together. Both of them, Katy, Sirius, Lily, James and Peter had spent the previous day fixing it up, including building a concrete enclosure thing for Remus to go in at full moon. It was only about three square feet on the outside, but, rather like a magical tent, was much bigger on the inside. Their house was outside of the nearby town and the backyard opened into a forest, that way, they figured if something ever happened and Remus escaped in his werewolf form he would go into the forest and not run into any humans.

However they hadn't been able to get all the stuff out of Remus' apartment that they wanted and said they would be coming over to get the last of it that morning. Katy decided to go and see if they needed any help.

"Just thought I'd see if you wanted help." She said when Aimy opened the door, beaming at her.

"I think we're just about done, but would you like a cup of tea?" She ushered her inside and pointed Katy into one of the kitchen chairs.

"This is the last box." Remus came out of the bedroom with a box in his hands. "Hello, Kate." He said, sounding a bit surprised to see her.

"Morning." She smiled at him.

"We're just having a cup of tea and then we'll go finish unpacking." Aimy would not stop smiling.

"Sounds lovely." Remus smiled and set the box down and joined Katy at the kitchen table.

They were halfway through their tea when a knock on the door interrupted them. James was standing there looking worried, he had a paper in his hand.

"You haven't seen Lily have you?" he asked when Remus opened the door.

"No, Katy asked the same thing, why?" Remus asked.

"Her mum's hurt, Petunia sent her a letter saying she'd been in a car crash, no idea where she went though." He said quickly.

"Well it won't do you any good to wait around worrying, come in here with us and have some tea." Aimy stood up. "She's probably at the hospital, nothing to worry about."

"What if it's a trap?" James asked sinking into a chair and being presented with a cup of hot tea. Who's to say Death Eaters didn't send this?"

"The Death Eaters have nothing other than being a Muggle-born against Lily, why would they go out of their way to create a problem that would only get one of the four of you into their hands? Wouldn't they have said something that would have gotten Lily to wake the rest of you up and come with her if they wanted you that bad?" Aimy asked.

_

* * *

_

Lily's POV

They had gotten their only just in time, barely five minutes after Lily and Petunia arrived, Lily had had to watch her mother breathe her last breath. She had heard the beeping, been pushed away by doctors, watched that little heart rate monitor drawing a straight line and Lily had needed a shoulder to cry on. She was a little surprised that Petunia had pulled her into a hug and the two of them had spent the entire morning sitting on their mother's bed crying together.

"Excuse me?" A nurse said timidly and they both looked up. "We need to move her body and the coroner is here so you can make funeral arrangements." The nurse wheeled Mrs. Evans' body out of the room after draping a cloth over it and out a back exit where it was transferred into a truck that said "Johnson Family Funeral Parlor" on it. Petunia called a taxi and they followed the truck to the funeral parlor.

The rest of the day went by in a haze, there were lots of forms to be filled out and papers to sign and Lily didn't understand most of it. All that was going through her head was that she would never speak to her mother again; she would never be able to ask her for advice, for guidance, for help of any sort. Her mother wouldn't get to see Lily get married and have kids, whenever that happened, her mother was going to miss out on so much of Lily's life, of Petunia's life, of what should have been the rest of her own life.

"Where have you been?"

"What happened today?"

"Is your mum okay?"

James, Katy and Sirius all attacked her with questions and concerned looks the minute she appeared in the living room. She had been gone all day, she hadn't realized that, and she had left no note explaining where she had gone, but judging by Katy's question, they had found Petunia's letter.

"My mum's dead." She said quietly, not wanting to see the pitying looks, not wanting them to tell her how sorry they were.

"Oh, Lily!" Katy beat James to her and it was then that Lily remembered Katy had lost her own mother and she was therefore more accepting of Katy telling her how she knew how she felt and how awful that was, Katy had gone through it herself. Katy grabbed Lily and pulled her into a tight hug and once again Lily burst into tears and cried on Katy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was." She said when she had control of herself again.

"It's fine, we were just a bit worried, that's all." Katy said soothingly. "Don't worry about us at all." Katy pulled Lily onto the couch and allowed James to sit next to her. He immediately put his arm around her and Lily gratefully leaned into him. He kissed the top of her head and she could feel his tears in her hair.

* * *

Lily didn't really want to deal with the funeral. She didn't want people to "give their condolences" to her. "Condolences" were so fake; Lily didn't think they were worth giving. She had convinced Katy and Sirius to stay home, telling them that they hadn't really known her mother and it would all be Muggles. James however had adamantly refused not to come and Lily had had to let him. When they arrived at the church, Lily was hugged by her sister and there was a part of her that was hoping perhaps she and her sister would be on better terms from then on.

"Who's that?" Petunia asked, pointing at James who had hung back nervously. "I don't think Mum knew him."

"That's my boyfriend, James Potter." Lily said and motioned James over. "James, this is my sister, Petunia. Petunia, this is James."

"Did he go to school with you?" She asked, not holding out her hand to shake his offered one. Lily nodded and Petunia eyed her angrily. "You had to bring one to Mum's funeral? Why couldn't you just let it be normal? You ruin everything." She glared at Lily.

"Mum met him! She liked him, and you brought your boyfriend, why couldn't I bring mine?" Tears were piling up in Lily's eyes.

"_Vernon_ came over for dinner many times; Mum was _very_ fond of him." Petunia sniffed. She shot one haughty look at James and then turned and walked over to Vernon Dursley, a very large, unpleasant man who Lily had had the displeasure of meeting about five times.

* * *

"Orphan is such a lonely word…" Lily remarked sadly that night as she and James lay in bed.

"Well you're not alone, so don't think like that." He pulled her over close to him and she happily snuggled up to him.

"I suppose I'm not really an orphan, my dad left when I was about one. I don't remember him at all. But I don't really want to go find him if he didn't want me, he's not _really_ my dad, Just, you know, in a biological way."

"Is biological a Muggle thing?" James' forehead had a slight crease on it.

"It means scientific, as in technically that man is my father but I have no fatherly feelings, no love for him." Lily sighed. "I always thought she'd be there for me."

"Your mum?"

"And my sister. But yes, I remember being terrified it would happen to me when I heard about Kate's mum, but I didn't really think it would. And I suppose it hasn't, my mum wasn't murdered, she was just… James you don't think that was Death Eaters, do you?" Lily was white; a new, horrible thought had come to her.

"No, no it wasn't. They had wanted to kill her they would have done it in a much easier way. People don't always die from being hit." James was stroking her arm and while Lily knew that it was still entirely possible, she was thankful that James had told her it couldn't have been.

"What happened with your sister?" James asked and he sounded a little unsure of himself, like maybe he wasn't sure if he was allowed to ask that.

"She just… I think she was jealous that I got to go to Hogwarts and she didn't. But if it started off jealousy then it changed, because she got angry and she called me a freak whenever she could and she never said anything nice to me. Mum talked to her about it a few times and whenever 

that happened, Petunia would be nice for a few days but then it was like she would go back to her old habit of Lily bashing. I don't really know why, but I guess she was jealous. I think she may have also felt like I betrayed her. She had already started high school and I was going to attend the same one as her, but instead I went to Hogwarts."

"Sorry, that I asked." James said and it took Lily a few minutes to realize there were tears on her cheek. She turned to look up at him and kissed him before smiling.

"It's fine." She rested her head on his chest, smiled happily and the two of them lay there like that and ended up falling asleep just like that.

_So i know that technically jk rowling said lily's parents died of natural causes but honestly, i don't think two youngish people drop dead of natural causes all that often so i sort of got rid of Mr. Evans and had a car crash... i hope you don't hate me._

_please please review!!_

_Lily_


	58. Chapter 57

_so i'll apologize right now for having two short chapters in a row, but hopefully you will like this chapter and it won't matter, i just sort of had to cut off where i did..._

Chapter 57  
_Katy_

"Where are we going?" Katy asked giggling. It was her nineteenth birthday and Sirius and James had planned something that they wouldn't even tell Lily. The four of them had spent the day with friends, enjoying themselves and eating a lot of cake, but Sirius and James had told them they weren't allowed to make any plans for the evening. After grabbing a sweater as it might still be cold in the evening, though it was the end of May, Katy had been pulled outside and now Sirius and James were walking her and Lily somewhere and neither of them had the faintest clue where.

"You'll see." Sirius said with a grin. "Anyone watching? Good, see you in a bit." He grabbed a tighter hold on Katy's arm and Appirated both of them somewhere. When Katy got her bearings, she found that she was in a grassy meadow with a lake nearby.

"Sirius this place is lovely, where are we?"

"No idea, I just found a picture of it and thought it looked nice." He pulled her over to where James and Lily had Appirated to. There was a small picnic table with food laid out for four. "Happy birthday, Kate." Sirius smiled and sat down next to her opposite James and Lily. They ate their dinner and chatted and laughed and then James suggested they all take a walk, he and Sirius exchanged a look as they got up and Katy had a feeling there was more planned for the evening. She took Sirius' hand and the four of them walked down along the lake although they weren't really walking together, Sirius and Katy were in front and James and Lily were walking behind them. After about ten minutes, Katy realized that Lily and James were no longer with her and Sirius.

"Where did Lily and James go?" She turned to Sirius.

"Off somewhere." He said vaguely and Katy had a feeling that he knew more than he was letting on. "Come here." He pointed to a bench that Katy could've sworn hadn't been there only seconds before. Then she remembered that Sirius was a wizard and that it probably _wasn't_ there a few seconds ago. Sirius pulled her on the bench next to him and kissed her. He cupped her face in his hands and leaned in close to her ear. "I love you." he whispered and she giggled. Katy loved it when Sirius was romantic. He could pull it off so well, she found it odd no one ever seemed to think he was capable of being romantic.

"I love you too." She smiled at him and leaned forward to kiss him again. He kissed her once, briefly, before pulling back, his eyes blazing as he looked her right in the eyes.

"Katy, will you marry me?" He asked and she came as close to tears as she had in years. She nodded as hard as she could and began kissing him again. She could feel him grinning as he kissed her back. The kissed each other like that for what felt like an eternity of bliss to Katy before he pulled back and reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. She was shaking like mad as he opened the box displaying what Katy thought was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It had a rectangular diamond in the center and trailing down the silver band were bright blue sapphires, exactly the color of Katy's eyes, which got smaller and smaller as they went down the band.

"It's gorgeous." She breathed as Sirius took hold of her hand and slid the exquisite ring onto her finger. "I have to show Lily!" She squealed.

"Hey, what about me?" Sirius asked. "I ask you to marry me and you want to ditch?" He fake frowned. "I don't know… maybe I should take that ring back."

"No need!" Katy wrapped her other hand protectively around her new engagement ring and scooted over on the bench to lean in on and cuddle up with her brand new fiancé. She giggled when she thought the word fiancé.

"What's so funny?" He asked, stroking her arm.

"You're my fiancé." She giggled again.

"And you're my fiancée." He kissed the top of her head. "With an extra 'e'. Why do they do that anyway?"

"Cause girls deserve more letters than boys." She looked up at him and he kissed her nose. "Can't quite reach the mouth, huh?" She laughed.

"I think you have a cute nose." He frowned at her.

"Well good, I'd have to break off the engagement if you didn't like my nose. Now let's go find Lily." Sirius sighed, but stood up without protesting and took Katy's hand in his own. They walked up the sloping lawn hand in hand but when Katy saw the familiar shape of Lily Evans, she broke free of Sirius and went running forward. Lily was also running forward to her.

"Katy!" Lily yelled.

"Lily, I have the biggest news of my life." Katy was grinning so hard she was momentarily worried she was going to split her face in two.

"I do too!"

"What?"

"You first, it's your birthday."

"I'm getting married!" Katy squealed and held up her left hand. Lily gasped, without saying a word, she held up her own left hand and Katy let out a shriek. Lily had on exactly the same ring as Katy except in the place of sapphires, Lily's ring held emeralds. "James asked you to marry him?" She gushed. "Oh Lily!" Lily's eyes were now wet with tears. "They're the same. They planned it." Lily looked up and beamed behind Katy, Katy turned and saw Sirius, who had been joined by James, and both of them were both smiling at Lily and Katy, knowing looks on their faces. "You planned this?" Katy whirled around and smiled at the two of them.

"Down to every gem in those rings you two have." James said grinning.

"What would you have done it one of us said no?"

"Cried?" Sirius said as if it was a suggestion.

"I'm glad to know I'm going to have a manly husband." Katy smirked at Sirius' face while Lily went running up to James.

"It was perfect, James, absolutely perfect. I love you."

"I love you too, Lily." He leaned down and kissed her.

"Why don't we follow that lovely example?" Sirius smiled innocently at Katy as he grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him.

"It was perfect, James, absolutely perfect. I love you." Katy said without missing a beat.

"I love you too, Lily." Sirius laughed and hugged her tight as he kissed her.

* * *

That night Katy was in the process of sealing up her letter to her father telling him she was engaged when Sirius came in their bedroom.

"Katy," He smiled, shut the door and came over to her.

"Hello, Fiancé." She giggled and stood up to kiss him. She pulled back after a long kiss and smiled at him, his eyes were blazing and she knew she was trembling.

They moved as one to the bed and Sirius lay down, pulling Katy on top of him. She grinned and kissed him again. Katy felt his hand on her stomach as he unbuttoned her shirt and she willingly allowed him to take it off. She sat up and he sat up as well and for one absurd moment Katy started laughing, remembering the last time she had taken his shirt off and she knew she was thinking about that too, as he was also laughing quietly. She smiled, running her hands down his bare chest and leaned into him, making their kissed much deeper as he undid the buttons on her skirt.

_so first off i am squeeling happily in my chair right now... i hope you thought the engagement was cute, i did. :P_

_and now a little side note: this is a ronchy-lemon free fan fiction as if you ask me, writing a sex scene would be like the most awkward thing in the entire world._

_i hope no one feels like i have skipped a bunch... the christmas fair chapter took place in december, obviously, the last chapter was in march and this was may 22._

_reviews make my day better!_

_Lily_


	59. Chapter 58

_so i'm doing pretty good getting my updates faster, huh? ten days..._

Chapter 58  
_Lily_

Lily had been heartbroken when she received her sister's reply. She had written it almost as soon as she got home and was surprised that the reply came the next day, and with an owl no less. However, its contents did not make her feel even remotely happy or friendly toward her sister. Petunia had only written three sentences.

_Congratulations. I am too, Vernon asked me in February. Please don't send another bird._

_Petunia_

Lily wouldn't have minded if all Petunia wrote was "Congratulations." But the fact that she hadn't told Lily about her own engagement, even though she had seen her in person since it happened, that was the part that broke Lily's heart.

"Lily, what's the matter?" James came hurrying over to her and despite how sad she felt, she couldn't help but smile when she saw him. She just showed him her sister's letter. "Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry." He kissed her and that kiss helped far more than the being sorry.

"James when are we going to get married? I want to do it right away, not a long engagement, is that okay?"

"Of course it is, give me the time, date, and place and I'll show up." He smiled and poured himself a cup of tea before sitting down next to her.

"What a comfort." Lily giggled and James grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the kitchen. "My tea!" She said, frowning at him but he ignored her and pulled her into the living room where he deposited her on the couch and sat down next to her, leaning in to kiss her. She smiled at him and happily kissed him back, her sadness about Petunia gone.

* * *

Sirius and James had gone out for the day and after Lily and Katy ate lunch Lily was finally getting changed out of her nightgown and slippers. She came back into the kitchen to find Katy staring at her ring with a little smile on her face.

"So are we going to talk at all about it?" Lily asked with a grin, knowing Katy probably wouldn't catch on right away.

"Talk about what?"

"Oh please, James had to put a Silencing Charm on your door last night. That was really quite awkward, I must say." Lily giggled and Katy turned bright red.

"Oh, that." She smiled shyly and fingered her ring, not looking at Lily. Lily glanced down at her own ring and sighed happily. Apart from a few awful things, she couldn't have asked for a better life, she had wonderful friends and the best fiancé in the world. No one could ask for more than friends and love, she thought. She was brought out of her thoughts by a knock on the door, Katy got up before she did and opened it to reveal Remus and Aimy.

"Rumor has it something big happened yesterday." Remus said with a smile.

"Yeah, just ask Kate here." Lily grinned at Katy who blushed deeply and stuck her tongue out at her.

"Is it true you're getting married?" Aimy said, clearly unsure of what had just happened and wanting to get the conversation back on track.

"Yes!" Lily and Katy said at the same time and held up their left hands, mostly toward Aimy, for them to see. Aimy squealed and then there was some conversation about how the rings matched and how sweet and she wanted to know exactly how they had each been asked.

"So where are the elusive fiancés?" Remus asked, looking around.

"Who knows?" Katy grinned. "Out somewhere I suppose."

"Lost track of them already?" Aimy asked with a smile. "That's a bad start to an engagement."

"Oh that's okay; Katy and Sirius already had a great start." Lily smirked and Katy turned the deepest red yet.

"I'm starting to think something happened we don't know about…" Aimy said to Remus who nodded with mock-seriousness.

"Yes something or other did happen last night." He looked from Katy to the closed bedroom door and back. Lily noticed with a grin that Katy did not look at him; rather she stared determinedly at the ring on her finger. That ring seemed to be her new "I'm embarrassed and need something to look at" item. "I suppose that means I have to find Sirius and tell him congratulations or good job or whatever it is I'm supposed to say in this situation." Remus grinned at Katy who was turning still redder.

"Good job?" Aimy frowned. "That's charming, Remus, really charming…"

"I thought men were supposed to go round telling people good job for things like that." Remus said, frowning back at her. "Now other than our congratulations or best wishes or whatever it is we're supposed to give the bride-to-be's, we were going to ask if you'd like to come on a walk or something. It's a terribly nice day out."

"Oh that would be lovely!" Katy jumped up, keen on changing the subject, apparently. There were two little parks nearby and they walked tone of them after Lily left a quick note saying where they'd gone. The park was called King's Court Park and Lily still found it amusing how everything in the area had "King's Court" in its name. There were really only two streets in their little neighborhood, King's Court Road, which had a long row of apartments and flats all up and down in, and King's Court Avenue, which had all the shops and the mall, though most referred to it as "The Avenue".

_

* * *

_

Katy's point of view!

"You know you probably shouldn't tell very many people you're engaged." Remus said quietly to Katy as they walked.

"Why not?"

"Well, it seems like You-Know-Who really isn't all that fond of you, and you being engaged, to Sirius Black no less, gives him all the more reason to go after you or to go after Sirius to get at you. And I rather think everyone else is Sirius' family hates him and would have no qualms with killing him. So it might be better not to give them another reason, Sirius Black marrying a Cupit? They'd probably die of shame."

"Well then I should make it public." Katy laughed. "But you're right; I suppose we ought to keep it quiet." She sighed. "Well there goes the big white wedding then."

"Big white wedding?" he asked.

"Yeah, if we can't even tell people we're engaged, our wedding would be a bit empty, don't you think?"

"A bit." Remus smiled at put his arm around her shoulders. "Maybe it'll all be done by the time you get married."

"Oh I hope so. However, You-Know-Who seems so intent on having total domination, it doesn't seem likely he'll give up without dying and who knows how long that will take. I just hope he's gone when I have children. I don't want my kids to grow up in a world of fear."

"Children…" Remus said and he sounded sad.

"I'm going to guess that means you don't want to have kids?"

"No, I would, but I can't. I shouldn't. It wouldn't be right." He frowned.

"Well, you can be the godfather of my children." Katy smiled at him.

"Not James?" Remus asked but he was smiling as well.

"Nah, he and Lily can have their own kids. He won't need mine." She laughed. "Maybe he can be the godfather of the second one, I want to have lots of kids."

"I doubt Sirius will complain." Remus said with a smirk and Katy slapped him playfully on the arm.

"No I doubt he will." She laughed.

* * *

That night Katy was trying to fall asleep but Sirius kept coming in their bedroom looking for things. Eventually, Katy just locked the bedroom door and turned out the light, hoping for some peace and quiet.

"Ouch!" She heard James shout through the door.

"What happened to you?" Lily sounded alarmed. "Honestly, James, pouring a cup of tea isn't that hard, how did you manage to dump the entire pot out onto yourself?" Just then the doorknob rattled.

"Oh Jezebel," Sirius called and Katy couldn't help but giggle. "Your dear little friend has locked me out, do you know why?"

"You should know why she does what she does, Sirius, you are going to marry her. And I'd guess it's to stop you barging in every two seconds. Remember how she said she was tired and wanted to go to bed early? But I really can't think about that right now, the person _I'm_ going to marry had just dumped a pot of hot tea on himself."

"A real keeper, that one." Sirius snorted. "You awake?" he called through the door.

"No." Katy shouted back.

"What?" He yelled.

"I am asleep; now go make noise somewhere else." However she had no such luck. He decided to use magic to open the door and he came through and lay down next to her, though he was still wearing his jeans and a t-shirt. "Or come in and lay down next to me, that works to, I guess."

"Well it was this or stand out there and watch Lily taking most of James' clothes off under the excuse of helping him because he had hot tea all over him." Sirius grinned and jumped off the bed. He took off his shirt and changed into a pair of pajama pants and got back into the bed. Katy cuddled up next to him. "And I must say, I am far fonder of you than James, particularly when James is having his clothes taken off."

"Why do I feel like you just told me you'd rather see me take my clothes off than James?"

"No idea, but it's true." Sirius smirked and kissed her. "And that particular phrasing made it seem like it was plausible that James would be taking your clothes off and I have to put in my objection to that ever happening."

"Only if it is life or death that James changes my clothes; that I can promise. Or you know, if I'm unconscious, then I can't do anything about it. Maybe if James was Imperiused… But he's like my brother, it wouldn't mean anything at all." Katy giggled. "I don't think you have to worry. If anyone's taking my clothes off, it will be me." He smiled at her and she rolled her eyes. "Or you apparently…" She kissed him and cuddled up closer to him.

_Lily's POV_

"Can you believe it's been a year since we were at Hogwarts?" Lily asked one afternoon in mid-June.

"You're not thinking about exams are you?" James frowned and Lily giggled.

"Well, now is the time when we would start studying."

"Wrong, darling now is the time you would start studying and force all of us to study along with you." James grinned and Lily glared at him.

"Yes but wasn't it good that I made you study?" She asked.

"No, I knew that stuff." James shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad to have been so helpful." Lily replied sarcastically.

"That's okay, for five out of seven years studying gave me an excuse to be near you. Those end of year study sessions were like the only time you didn't run and hide when I came near you. And you still refused to sit near me most of the time, but hey, I got to be within like ten to fifteen feet of you for entire afternoons." He grinned. "What a treat!"

"Careful now, you'll make me feel guilty."

"I take it you don't want to feel guilty?"

"Absolutely not, I didn't like you cause you were a prat. It was all your fault that I didn't want to be near you. Don't go spinning the blame onto me."

"Katy liked me."

"Yes well, Katy's insane. I thought we all knew that."

"Absolutely mental, true."

"Hey!" Katy herself had appeared and was glaring at them but her eyes were laughing.

"Hi Kate!" James grinned.

"That was a really bad attempt at playing that off like it didn't happen." Lily laughed.

"Shh, Lily you really aren't helping." James hissed.

"You're pathetic, James Potter." Katy grinned.

"Yes, but –"

"Let me guess," Katy smiled. "'but it's all a part of your charm', or 'but we all still love you.'" James frowned at her and she burst out laughing. "I think you get to join me in insanity and absolute mental-ness." She giggled. "Actually, nevermind, I think you got the crown for being completely insane when you were about two." She turned to Lily. "Our parents love to tell us stories of all the weird stuff we go up to, even as babies. And apparently some of it was impressive enough they wonder if it used magic. It couldn't have been underage magic, but I reckon we… erm… borrowed their wands from time to time." James snorted.

"Time to time? How else could two year olds accomplish the many feats we accomplished?"

"You guys were wreaking havoc at age two? Your poor mums…" Lily giggled.

"We wreaked havoc all our lives and likely always will." James said.

"What on earth could a pair of crazy two year olds do that was so bad?" Lily asked.

"I seem to recall being told that one time we were both at my house and our mums left us in the kitchen and came back about five minutes later to find that somehow I had managed to get Katy sitting in a large kitchen bowl on the top of a stack of bowls, and it seems like they always told us that stack of bowls was like four or five feet high and Katy was swaying precariously but laughing and clapping and having a terrific time." James grinned and Lily burst out laughing. "So when I'm about eighty and still trying to pull pranks, just make sure you can still Side-Along Appirate me to St. Mungo's." James continued.

"I look forward to it." Lily said with a frown. "You had better not pull any pranks on me when we're eighty."

"No, no of course not, just our grandchildren. They'll find it funny." James grinned.

"I don't know, a mental, pranking grandfather sounds kind of scary to me…" Katy laughed. "Besides, unless you wait until you two are like thirty five to have kids and your kids also wait to be like thirty five, when you're eighty your grandkids will be in their teens or older and they likely won't find it so amusing. Isn't that the age where you're embarrassed by your family?"

"Great-grandkids then." James countered.

"Oh dear, he's going to infect four generations… Merlin help us!" Lily giggled.

"You think that I won't have any effect on the future?"

"Not really, I'm willing to guess that you will likely be forgotten in a few generations."

"Gee thanks Katy." James laughed. "Same for you, then?"

"Nah, if I die without kids, I'll be remembered as the last Cupit, if I have kids, I'll still be a Cupit. I'll be remembered, don't you worry."

"People won't remember your name though." Lily laughed at how determined James seemed to find a way to get Katy forgotten. "You'll just be another Cupit."

"Yeah, and you'll just be another guy, nothing special."

"Nope, I'll save the world!" James laughed.

"Good luck. Maybe if you get rid of You-Know-Who, then you'll be remembered."

"Alright then, I'll get rid of You-Know-Who, you'll see." James said smugly. "And then you'll be sorry you didn't believe in me."

"Oh I'm sure I will." Katy giggled. "Alright now I'm famished, let get some food and has anyone seen Sirius?"

* * *

"James?" Lily asked, they were both lying in bed, but neither had fallen asleep. "James can we please pick a date soon?" It was the last week of June and although Lily knew that Sirius and Katy hadn't decided on a date, she wanted to get married right away.

"It's completely up to you, Lily. I'd marry you right now if you wanted." James smiled at her.

"Well, right now is a bit sooner than I'd planned, but can we get married before the end of the summer?" She looked up at him.

"Of course we can." He kissed her gently.

"I love you, James." She whispered.

"I love you too, Lily." He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "Lily?" He asked suddenly. "Are we going to live somewhere else after we get married?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, it would be sort of weird for two married couples to share an apartment, wouldn't it? Are we going to get a house?" She looked up at him. "There's no room in this place for kids." He added quietly.

"You want kids?" Lily asked, a huge smile on her face. James nodded and she kissed him. "Me too."

"And if Sirius and Kate have children and we do too, there will be no room in this apartment. At all."

"On a new topic, where does Sirius get money? He seems to have money all the time, but he hasn't got a job and I doubt his family is sending him a monthly allowance."

"His great-uncle someone or other died and left him all his money. About a year ago, got himself disowned from the family for it."

"But wasn't he dead?"

"Yeah, but Sirius said that meant he got burned off the family tree, though I'm not quite sure how…" James shrugged.

"So if Sirius has plenty of money, then we don't really need to do this whole four people splitting the cost of an apartment and no one should really care if we move somewhere else." Lily decided to bring the conversation back on track.

"Right, we can move when we get married, actually we can move whenever we want, but I like it here, it's fun being all together." James said, kissing the top of her head and pulling her closer to him.

"Let's get married at the end of July." Lily said.

"In a month?" James asked and Lily nodded. "I love you." He smiled and kissed her. Lily smiled back at him and deepened their kiss, she was ready.

_I'm going to leave what Lily is ready for up to personal opinion... haha you can decide if that is marriage or...something else. :P_

_i would really like it if you would review! i being forced to spend a lot of my days packing and cleaning so reviews make a very happy little break from that!_

_Lily_


	60. Chapter 59

_arrrggg. my computer refused to let me sign in to fanfiction like ALL day today so i coudn't upload this earlier, sorry!!_

_and now without further adieu:_

Chapter 59  
_Katy_

"What are you two doing?" Katy asked, she was pulling Sirius out of their bedroom and into the kitchen. He was protesting as he had in the process of getting dressed and not been allowed to finish. James and Lily were sitting at the kitchen table with a calendar in front of them.

"Picking a wedding date." Lily looked up and smiled happily at Katy and then gave Sirius a very weird look. Katy glanced behind her and noticed that Sirius was attempting to pull a t-shirt on and hold up his jeans which were slipping fast with only one hand. She giggled and released his other hand which helped considerably.

"You're picking a date?" Katy asked, plopping down in one of the other kitchen chairs. "When are you thinking?"

"End of July." James said quickly.

"Wow… that's soon." Katy raised her eyebrows.

"We're trying to figure out if there are any days when we're busy or can't do it." Lily said. "And unfortunately with the Order, we're finding a lot of days when one of us or one of you two are busy. Or Remus or Aimy or Peter or anyone else who we really want to be there."

"That would make it sort of hard…" Katy said and glanced down at the calendar which had apparently been Charmed to show what days had who doing what. Most days were full.

"July thirty-first!" Lily shouted all of a sudden and looking at it, Katy was amazed no one had noticed before, none of the necessary people were going to be busy. "James we're getting married on July thirty-first."

"As previously stated, I'll be there." James laughed.

"Right so, what's going on?" Sirius had finally finished putting his various pants and shirts on.

"James and Lily are getting married on July thirty-first." Katy said.

"Wow… that's soon." Sirius said.

"Didn't Katy just say that?" James asked.

"So…? What's the big deal?"

"That's just weird, you two talk the same." James shrugged. "Isn't July thirty-first a month from today?"

"Yeah, it is…" Lily said and smiled up at James. "This is okay, right?"

"Yeah." He leaned over and kissed her.

"Let's go Kate; they probably want to act all stupid and lovey-dovey about just picking a date. So let's clear out." He smirked at them and pulled Katy back into the bedroom they had come from.

"This is boring. There's nothing to do in here." Katy frowned and sat down on the bed. "Why couldn't they have left?"

"Good point, but now that we have, we can't exactly go back outside."

"How do we know they're even still out there? Maybe they went somewhere, or their own room. I don't like hiding in here." Katy stood up and pressed her ear against the door. "I don't hear anything out there. I'm going out there." She had started turning the doorknob when Sirius grabbed her hands.

"No, stay in here." Sirius pulled her away from the door. "If that was you and me out there, would you want James and Lily to come out?"

"Depends, what are we doing out there?" Katy asked with a grin.

"Oh you know," Sirius waved his hand vaguely. "This and that."

"Do tell." Katy giggled.

"Just tell?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"I suppose you might convince me to allow a bit more than telling. But you'll have to be very persuasive." Sirius pulled her forward and with her head between his hands, leaned down to kiss her. "You're getting there." She giggled and he kissed her again, deeper and harder this time. "Alright, you win." She smiled and kissed him back.

"Do you like this?" Lily came in, the door banging loudly and Sirius and Katy jumped apart quickly. "Oh… sorry." Lily was very red.

"No, no, it's fine." Katy said in an unnaturally high voice. "What's that?" She pointed at the little white paper Lily had been waving at them.

"We were deciding what the invitations should look like, and I wanted your opinion, but if you're too busy, I'll come back later." She said quickly and made to leave in a hurry.

"No, Lily, wait!" Katy called. "Let me see it." She walked over to Lily, but Sirius didn't let go of her hand so she didn't get very far. "Sirius, we're looking at wedding stuff." She frowned at him and he sighed and followed her. "That's really pretty, Lil." The invitation was white with a bit of light gold lace around the edges; the writing was also gold inviting the recipient to the wedding of James Potter and Lily Evans to be held on the thirty-first of July, 1979.

* * *

The next two weeks were absolutely mental. Invitations were sent out, a venue was selected, the menu was decided upon and James and Lily had to decide where to go for a Honeymoon. Katy was a little jealous watching them pick out china patterns and decide where they were going to move to. She found herself glancing over at Sirius an awful lot during wedding discussions, but he never looked at her, at least not at the same time as she looked at him.

Katy was to be the bridesmaid and Sirius the best man. She and Lily went out shopping one day to look at dresses, for both of them.

"So what are we looking for, dears?" The shop lady asked when they walked into the bridal store at the mall.

"I'm getting married and she's my bridesmaid." Lily was all smiles and Katy didn't blame her.

"Lovely, lovely." The shop lady beamed at them. "Now what style dress would you like to wear, dear?" She asked Lily. "We have long sleeve, three-quarter length, short sleeve, and sleeveless…"

"Oh, I'm not sure. I don't want it too… well, I want a simple dress, nothing to lacey and flowery and floofy."

"Alright, no floof." The lady smiled at her. "If you'd just like to look around, that's lovely as well." Lily nodded. "I'll just be over here, ask if you want anything." She nodded to them and wandered off to help some other bride-to-be.

"Now the fun part." Katy giggled and turned around the look at the first rack. "That is abominable." She was horrified with the dress in front of her. It had immense poufs of sleeves that had lace coming out from under them forming a long sleeve. The cut of the top of the dress was a very weird shape, it went down where it met the sleeve then up in a half circle and down in the middle to meet the other side. The skirt was hugely poufy and had lots of large flowers adorning it and its train was about ten feet long. Lily was staring, open mouthed in horror at it. "You could definitely pull that off, Lily."

"Think so?" Lily snorted.

"And just imagine James' face when he sees you." Katy giggled.

"Yeah… isn't that supposed to be a look of true love, not terror that you are marrying a lunatic?" Lily laughed as well. "Over here, these are better." Lily pulled Katy over to a section full of very pretty white gowns. "Kate!" Lily cried after about fifteen minutes of pawing through dresses. "Katy, this is it." She had pulled the dress off the rack and Katy knew Lily was right the minute she saw it. It was Lily in the form of a dress.

The dress was very simple, but also very elegant. It had small, slightly puffed short sleeves and a rounded neck like that dove slightly, but was also appropriate for a wedding. There was about a quarter of an inch of lace lining it just above it that was not too ridiculous at all. The dress had an empire waist, with a two inch sash, still of white, going all the way around, it could be tightened or loosened as needed but it didn't have an enormous, ugly bow on the back. The skirt had a lot of folds and looked like it would swish when walked in, but wasn't really poufy, there weren't layers of petticoat involved. It had a train of about one foot and the back was lace-up with a small bow on it.

"Try it on!" Katy said quickly.

"Do you know what size it is?"

"Nevermind that, we can fix that." She tapped the pocket her wand was in and they hurried into a dressing room. "Do you need help or should I leave?" Katy asked.

"I'll need help with the back, so stay." Lily said as she quickly undressed and Katy helped her into the dress. Katy helped get the sleeves over Lily's shoulders and then she laced up the back. One quick tap of her wand made the dress shrink a bit to just fit Lily perfectly. It hugged her in all the right places and it flowed around her and twirled gracefully when she spun. "Oh, Katy." She breathed. "Katy, it's perfect."

"Lily, you're gorgeous. James is going to have a hard time not fainting when he sees you."

"Well, I hope he doesn't." She giggled and ran her hands down the front of the dress, feeling the smooth satin material between her fingers. "Can we buy it, right now?" She asked eagerly and Katy laughed.

"You're supposed to be the Muggle expert." She said. "But I'll go and ask. Don't take it off." Katy went back into the regular part of the store and found the shop lady. "Can we buy the dress now, and take it home?"

"You've found it already?" Katy nodded. "You may, but only if I can see it." She smiled and Katy led her over to the dressing rooms.

"Lily, let's see you then." Lily stepped out and the shop lady beamed at her.

"You're a pretty little thing, that's for sure. He's a lucky man, who's marrying you." She smiled indulgently while Lily blushed happily. "And are you going to be wanting anything, dear?" She turned to Katy.

"Oh, yes!" Lily said, both of them had forgotten. "I need a dress for her, the bridesmaid."

"Well, get changed and I'll show you the dresses that aren't for the bride." The shop lady said with yet another smile. "How did she find one that fit so perfectly?" She asked Katy.

"Magic, I guess." Katy grinned at her.

"Meant to be, I hear it all the time. Oh!" She said excitedly. "You're engaged as well, will I be seeing you in here again anytime soon?"

"I don't really know, we haven't picked the date, actually." Katy knew she sounded a bit sad and the shop lady picked up on it.

"Well, not to worry, dear, not to worry, I'll be here with the perfect dress for you as well, whenever you're ready." She patted Katy's arm and a few minutes later, Lily emerged, draping the dress over her two arms. "Now you just give that to me and I'll get it all wrapped up so the groom won't see it until the big day." The shop lady took the dress from an unwilling to part with it Lily. "And over here," She showed them to a part of the store that was not solely white. "Are our wedding party dresses." She told them to call her if they needed anything and departed.

"It's going to be blue, to match your eyes." Lily announced at once.

"It's your wedding, Lily. You get to pick out my dress." Katy smiled; she trusted Lily's judgment and knew she would not be forced into anything hideous.

It was harder to find a bridesmaid dress that would match Lily's but they did. It was cut in almost the same way, although Lily was a little adverse to the fact that its neckline was plunged a bit more than she would have picked. The neckline was rounded but it had a dip where it met in the center. It had the same small puffed sleeves and empire waist although there wasn't any lace and no train at all. Katy thought it was very pretty and would be more than happy to wear it. The color was a bit too dark to really match Katy's eyes, but, as Lily whispered, that could easily be fixed. The brought it to the shop lady, after first trying it on, and paid for it as well as the bridal gown.

Both dresses were in garment bags and they carried them out of the store and then quickly Shrunk them to an easier to deal with size and walked the few blocks back to the apartment.

"Who's going to give you away?" Katy asked as they walked in the sunshine.

"I don't know… I hadn't really thought about it." Lily frowned. "Who would give me away?" She said thoughtfully.

"Well you can give yourself away; I don't know what you want though."

"No, I want someone to give me away." Lily said firmly. "I just don't know who." She sighed. "But I will, it's not come to me yet." She nodded to herself. "It'll come, I know it will."

They walked the rest of the way back in silence, Katy was thinking hard about seeing Lily spin happily in her white gown and the radiant look that was always present on Lily's face these days. Katy wanted to get married, she knew it was true, but she had no idea if Sirius wanted to get married soon. They opened the door to the apartment to find James, Sirius and Remus talking in the living room.

"That's it!" Lily said and turned to Katy. "Remus." She smiled.

"Yes, Lily that's perfect." Katy smiled back.

"Remus, can you come here a minute?" She asked and Remus stood up and walked over to the two of them. Katy decided to let Lily ask Remus by herself and so walked into the living room holding the two gowns.

"Those are a bit small, don't you think?" Sirius asked with a grin.

"Aren't you clever." Katy frowned but giggled a bit. "They're going to be hanging on a soon-to-be enchanted dress hanger so if either of you try to touch them, I'll know." Katy frowned at James and Sirius who both gave her their perfected looks of innocence but she just turned and hung the dresses up and put a few charms on them so only she and Lily could touch them. Walking back into the living room, James and Sirius had returned to talking about who knew what but Remus was hugging Lily with tears in his eyes.

"What are you looking at?" Sirius asked, following Katy's gaze and being confused. "What happened with you two?" he asked, walking over toward Remus and Lily. James and Katy joined them in a minute.

"I've asked Remus to give me away, I never knew my dad and a friend seems like the best thing to me." She hugged Remus again and she too had tears in her eyes. Although Katy couldn't fathom why, those tears made her a little jealous and then she knew why: she hadn't cried again. She had cried so hard when her sister had been cursed, nothing else seemed to have the power to make her cry; it had been almost two years since a single tear had escaped her eyes, whether out of sadness of happiness.

* * *

The wedding was to take place at 2:30 on the afternoon of July thirty-first. It was a Tuesday and fortunately there were only a few Order members on duty so most of them were able to attend the wedding. Katy and Lily had sent James and Sirius off to do whatever they wanted the previous night and the two of them spent the night in a fancy hotel and got up early to get their nails done and then went and got their hair done.

"Lily, is your sister coming?" Katy asked as they walked out of the hair salon, both of them had their hair piled up on top of their heads. Lily's hair, being only as long as her shoulders, had some curls at the bottom of her hairline bouncing around her shoulders and as Katy's hair was much too long for that, she had one thicker curl on her shoulder. There had been a few seconds of a problem in the hair salon when the hair dresser attempted to trim Katy's hair a bit and no matter what she tried her scissors wouldn't cut it. Katy had then had to tell her she didn't want her hair cut at all but the woman was still mystified how her scissors had become so dull so quickly.

"I'm not sure, I sent her an invitation but I also included a paper saying that there would be magic used in it and so if she wanted to come, she should know. And I told her she was allowed to bring her fiancé, even though I despise him, I would really like her to be at my wedding. But I sort of doubt that she's mentioned she has a freak for a sister to Vernon Dursley." Lily said bitterly.

"She'll come." Katy said, smiling at Lily who didn't look sure. "Let's go back and get the dresses." They checked out of their hotel and Appirated to the location of the wedding. It was an outdoor wedding, in the place Sirius and James had taken them when they proposed. There were rows of white chairs and the alter was simple with an archway with flowers climbing up it and meeting in the middle.

There was a small dressing room that had been erected a little ways off and Katy and Lily went straight to it. Lily sat down in a chair inside it and Katy hurried off to see if she could find James, Sirius, Peter and/or Remus. She found all four standing by the lake's edge talking and laughing together.

"You're not dressed." She said, frowning at them.

"Neither are you." James said.

"Go and change, please?" Katy asked. "The guests will be arriving soon. Oh and Lily's sister has been invited but Lily doesn't think she'll come. But if she does it is quite possible that she will bring her fiancé. He doesn't know about magic as of yet, but if he comes, Petunia will have told him and if you do one thing to him, any pranks of any kind, I will personally kill you all." She glared at them.

"We haven't done anything. And if we tried to pull pranks on Lily's wedding day, don't you think she would murder us all?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, it's likely." Katy smiled. "Now go and change! Remus you need to be back there," she pointed at the dressing room. "About ten minutes before the ceremony." He nodded and the four of them trooped off to their own changing room. Katy watched them go and come out about five minutes later, all in various states of togetherness. "What on earth happened? You don't look remotely ready."

"Want to help?" They came over to her and she just sighed and tapped each one of them with her wand, making their ties tie and their jackets straighten and shoes shine and every other thing that needed fixing. "Remus, you might as well come over here now. You lot, go and sit down." She pointed them off towards the chairs and pulled Remus with her to the dressing room with had Lily in it. "Lily, I'm back and I've brought Remus, can he come in?"

"Yes, I just need you to do the laces." She called and Katy went in, followed by Remus who gaped at Lily.

"Lily you look beautiful." He smiled at her.

"Thanks." She blushed. Katy grinned at her and went over and laced up the back of her dress.

"Right, my turn." She laughed and got out her own dress.

"Should I leave?" Remus asked, he was a little red.

"As long as you aren't staring at me in a creepy way, I really don't care." Katy shrugged. "Lily can you help?" Katy stepped into the dress and Lily laced her up. Then they remembered they were going to mess with the color a bit. "Remus, we need your help." Katy called to Remus who starting at the wall.

"My help?" He asked nervously.

"With color. I promise I'm fully clothed." Katy giggled and Remus turned around.

"You don't look half bad yourself." He smiled at her.

"What praise!" She grinned. "Now Lily wants the color to match my eyes, so will you help us get the color right?" He nodded and Lily began tapping the dress which turned various different shades of light blue. It took about ten minutes to find the right shade, but they did. "Remus, can you look and see how many people are here?" Remus poked his head out to look at the chairs.

"There all here, no one's standing up and it looks pretty full." He checked his watch. "It's 2:35."

"What?" Lily frowned. "Let's go." Lily picked up the bouquet of flowers, a mix of lilies and roses, and Katy stepped out of the dressing room first. Behind her Lily took Remus' arm and they followed. As soon as they stepped out, the band started playing the bridal march. As soon as the first note sounded, the guests swiveled around in their chairs to see the wedding party.

Katy was first, walking up the aisle; she couldn't keep the smile off her face. James and Sirius were standing up at the altar, both smiling widely as well. When Katy got to the front and took her place, Lily was visible to James for the first time and while his smile stayed on his face, in his eyes you could see he was gaping at her. Lily got to the end of the chairs and hugged Remus, tears already forming in her eyes. Remus sat down and Lily continued by herself. She handed Katy her bouquet and turned to face James.

From the moment the man performing the ceremony opened his mouth, Katy found herself going other places. She couldn't keep memories of how they had gotten to that spot out of her head. She saw flashes of their past run through their head. Lily's look of surprise when Katy first met her and went in the compartment James and Sirius were in was the first; Katy smiled and allowed her brain to remember. She remembered James attempting to tell Lily she couldn't be friends with Snape because of his rule book, she remembered Lily's reaction to seeing what she herself had written in the rule book. Memories flashes through her head and she got to the first time James had asked Lily out and she smiled to herself, wondering how on earth Lily and James had gotten from that moment to the present one. Katy remembered that ridiculous night in their seventh year when she, Sirius, Aimy and Mary had all snuck out of the common room and the night had ended with Lily and James snogging quite heavily and Lily finally agreeing to go out with James. And then the band was playing again and Lily and James were kissing and walking away down the aisle. Sirius took hold of Katy's arm and pulled her down the aisle as well.

While the wedding ceremony was being cleared up and a dance floor created and tables and chairs set up, they took the wedding pictures. First the photographer, and Remus on the side, took pictures of just Lily and James and then pictures with Sirius and Katy in them as well. A few pictures were taken of just Sirius and Katy and a couple of Lily and Remus. Then the photographer left and Remus hailed one of the guests to take some pictures of all of them together, just having a good time.

When the pictures were done, Katy noticed two guests who were standing far off to the side, one looking disapproving and nervous, the other looking appalled and terrified.

"Lily," Katy pointed at Petunia and her fiancé, Katy didn't know his name for sure.

"They came!" Lily breathed happily and without another word she pulled James over to them. Katy couldn't hear the conversation but it wasn't a long one and Lily came back looking upset and James came back looking confused.

"Lily, what happened?" Katy asked, surveying Lily's face carefully.

"It doesn't matter, let's have fun." She smiled bravely and she and James went into the throng of people where they were congratulated and presented with gifts and when Lily resurfaced she looked much happier.

"Dance with me." Sirius grabbed Katy's arm and pulled her into the party where the band had begun playing.

"Sirius no, Lily and James have to dance first."

"Then I get the next dance."

"Isn't that the father-daughter dance?"

"Lily hasn't got a father…" Sirius' claim caused an issue for about a minute before Lily smiled and pulled Remus out on the floor following her dance with James.

"You gave me away, you can dance with me." She smiled at him and the dance started. Pretty soon fathers and daughters started dancing together, but Lily and Remus were clearly the pair enjoying themselves the most.

"Now you can't get out of this one." Sirius grinned when the music ended and Remus and Lily split and began dancing with Aimy and James respectively.

"I didn't try to." She giggled and allowed him to pull her onto the dance floor.

"Didn't they used to date?" Sirius asked after the dance was over. Katy followed his pointing finger and saw Mary talking quietly with Benjy Fenwick.

"Yeah, I don't remember when they broke up though, Mary never said anything." Katy said, staring at the two of them. "Well, we'll see what happens, I guess." She smiled. "I'm thirsty, let's get a drink. I see a bar over there."

At the bar, Katy and Sirius were just behind Frank and Alice Longbottom in line. Frank and Alice were in the Order as well and had been married about a year. They had both been in Gryffindor three years above Katy.

"It's nice, isn't it? A bit of a break from chaos." Alice said with a smile. "It was a lovely ceremony, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." Katy smiled; she had no idea what had happened in the ceremony as her mind had been reminiscing.

* * *

"I can't believe they're married." Katy said to Sirius that night in bed. "And they're gone… and they aren't really coming back. Not here, at least."

"Well, they'll be back for a little while, getting packed and moving." Sirius said.

"I know, but it won't be the same." Katy sighed. "It never felt that different, the four of us living here. It still was a little like the dorms, but once they leave, then it will really be just me and you living together." She smiled but it was dark enough Sirius probably couldn't see.

"Oh." He said and Katy was sure he hadn't seen her smile.

"No, that's a good thing. It's just… big, that's all." She turned on her side and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You were beautiful today." He whispered. She looked up and kissed him. "Is it really just the two of us now?" He asked after a few minutes silence.

"Unless you invited someone else over…" She giggled.

"Not that I can remember." He kissed her again. "And it's going to stay you and I?" She nodded. "Weird…"

"I'm not sure if that's very complimentary to me." She tried to sound upset but ended up laughing.

"Well, I've never lived with just one other person before. I had my own room growing up, the Potters gave me a room and at Hogwarts I shared with three other guys. Never lived somewhere with just one other person all the time." He kissed her head. "But I'm glad I get the chance."

"Me too." Katy said and wrapped her arm around him.

"You shared a room with three other guys at Hogwarts? Why didn't I know this before?"

"Well, I didn't think you'd want to know that I was spending all my nights with other people, besides, a girl can only do so much in one night. It was exhausting." She giggled.

"So you must be a real expert then, hmm?"

"Oh yeah, I think I worried McGonagall a bit during career counseling when she asked about what my strengths were."

"No wonder she gave us detention for snogging. She must have thought she was lucky to catch it at that stage." Sirius smirked at her.

"Oh I'm sure." Katy giggled and leaned up and kissed Sirius. He pulled her by the waist so that she was lying on top of him and deepened the kiss.

* * *

While at first, the apartment seemed strangely empty without Lily and James, after a few days Katy was mostly used to it just being her and Sirius. Remus and Aimy came to visit quite often; Peter was over a few times, the days passed. Lily and James were supposed to be gone for two weeks.

Sirius and Remus had gone out one evening and Katy had gone to bed before they got back. She was woken up by loud, loud laughter and glancing at the clock saw that it was seven in the morning. She wasn't sure if that meant they were only just returning of had never fallen asleep, but either way, she was not pleased to be awake.

"Katy!" Sirius shouted the moment she appeared in the doorway. She wrapped her dressing gown around herself more tightly and stepped out of the door frame.

"What are you two doing?" She frowned at them. "No, nevermind, what _were_ you two doing all night? When did you get back?" She crossed her arms and Sirius got a very confused look on his face. He had been attempting to grab hold of her hand but it was gone.

"We went… somewhere." Sirius screwed up his face in concentration. "Where did we go, Moony?" He asked but Remus didn't answer and he was far too busy laughing like a maniac at nothing in particular.

"Oh, Merlin. Remus you are supposed to be the sober one who helps me deal with this one here." She pointed at Sirius and glared at Remus who stopped laughing at once and looked like a little boy caught by his mother for doing something naughty. "I need backup." She walked over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder and tried to Floo-call Aimy. However, just when she got through and was about to open her mouth to ask Aimy to come over and help her, she was hit with something very large and spinning and thrown backwards into her own living room where she realized she had both Lily and James on top of her. "What are you doing here? You aren't supposed to come back for five days!" Katy pushed them off her and stood up and was promptly horrified. Lily had a gash in her cheek and when James stood up he winced painfully and limped over to the couch where he collapsed. "Merlin, what happened to you?" Before Lily and James could answer Aimy came shooting out of the fireplace.

"What happened? It looked like you got attacked!" She noticed Lily and James. "They shouldn't be here yet. What happened?" she shrieked upon seeing the state they were in.

"He was there…" Lily whispered in horror. "You-Know-Who, we saw him. He and some Death Eaters, they attacked us."

"You saw Voldemort?" Sirius shouted and everyone winced and Sirius ran over to Lily and James and sat on the coffee table in front of them. "How?" He cocked his head to one side and got up and flew over to Katy's rocking chair and rocked so ferociously that he was deposited on the floor. This caused Remus to start laughing again and again like a complete lunatic.

"Did they go out and get drunk last night?" Aimy asked Katy with a frown.

"That's my guess."

"That would explain why Remus never came home."

"Anyway, what happened with you two?" Katy asked, sitting down in the rocking chair that Sirius was no longer sitting in.

"Well it was perfectly love for the first week and the a few days ago we saw someone who we thought was a Death Eater and we saw him a few times that day and a couple of them James said he was looking at us, but I never saw that. And the next day we saw more and even I saw them looking at us and we were going to go somewhere else today anyway so we decided to just come home but last night when we left the hotel they were waiting for us." Lily said quickly, her voice was hoarse, it sounded like she had been yelling a lot recently. "And You-Know-Who was with them." She shuddered. "He looks like death itself and there were about ten of them and just the two of us and curses were flying everywhere and James and I got separated and we were screaming for each other but I couldn't see him anywhere and I was sure he was dead and a couple of times I thought I had been hit because green light was everywhere and blowing up everything it hit. There were flying pieces of our hotel everywhere and Muggles were coming running out, they must have thought it was an earthquake or something, but they were terrified and they sort of distracted the Death Eaters and they started going after them but one or two, including You-Know-Who stayed focused on James and I and I have no idea how it happened, but then Dumbledore came, he must have some way of knowing when Death Eaters attack and he dueled You-Know-Who but that got the attention of the other Death Eaters and they started going after us once more and there were dead Muggles everywhere and others who had been tortured and were screaming in pain and then more Order members showed up but then more Death Eaters appeared and it got bigger and bigger and half the hotel had fallen down and over half the Muggles staying in it were dead and most of the rest were badly hurt and they were all screaming and then, I'm not quite sure why, the Death Eaters disappeared. All of them. And it was like four in the morning and we were left to deal with the Muggles and modify their memory and come up with a plausible excuse because other Muggles had seen it happen and called the police and I don't think we got every Muggle who had seen it because some of them didn't come out of their houses and other hotels nearby, they could just see it happening so I don't know what's going on and then Dumbledore told us to go somewhere so we Appirated to the Leaky Cauldron and Flooed here." Katy was white with shock. They had seen You-Know-Who? They had been attacked by You-Know-Who? They had been attacked on their Honeymoon. Katy was shaking and tears were pouring down Aimy's face. Sirius was rocking back and forth on the ground humming quietly, obviously he hadn't paid any attention. Remus, though Katy wasn't sure where he had got them, was doodling on the kitchen table with big fat markers and still laughing quietly to himself.

"You… but… You-Know-Who… and Dumbledore… wow…" Aimy stuttered. She wiped her face and ran forward and pulled Lily up off the couch into a tight hug. Katy went and sat next to James whose leg seemed to be causing him pain and she hugged him as well.

"What happened to your leg?" She asked him quietly.

"Got a bit of solid concrete wall falling onto it." He said lightly, a brave attempt at a joke.

"Don't try and joke! We'll take you to St. Mungo's." She stood up quickly. "Lily, are you hurt?"

"Just a bit of a headache and this." She pointed at the large cut on her cheek.

"Then you drink some tea and rest and I'm taking James to St. Mungo's." Katy pulled James up and he leaned on her for support. "Watch out for them," She pointed at Sirius and Remus. "They're drunk." She turned on the spot with James still leaning on her and appeared in the front lobby of St. Mungo's.

_

* * *

_

Lily's POV

Before Lily really knew what was going on, Katy and James had disappeared with a crack. That was not what Lily wanted. She wanted to be near James, she had just spent the last ten hours being terrified he was dead and now he was gone. She knew he was alive and going to be okay but still, Lily wanted him in her sight. She wandered into the kitchen where Remus was doodling on the table. He had a stupid little grin on his face, she decided to sit down next to him. The table was covered in drawings that looked like they had been done by a five year old. There were stick people and smiley face suns and birds that looked like V's and clouds that looked rather like sheep. It was an immense scene that Remus had drawn.

"Hello." She said dully.

"Shh!" he hissed without looking up. A moment's pause. "You were on a Honeymoon." He looked at her, his eyes wide. Something about him reminded her of a small child.

"Yes, I was."

"Was it nice?"

"Yes it was nice."

"Good." He nodded firmly and went back to drawing.

"I won't, I won't!" Sirius shouted suddenly from the other side of the room. Aimy was sitting on the floor across from him, frowning. "You can't make me!" he jumped up and began running in very fast circles around the coffee table.

"What are you trying to get him to do?" Lily asked.

"Go to sleep. They both really need to sleep it off."

"Well, Remus is just acting like a five year old, so he's not a problem. That one however," She pointed at the blur that was Sirius Black. "He's going to be a bit tough. You can take Remus home if you like, he's already going to get us fined a lot for graffiti, but oh well. You can probably convince him to go to bed. I'll deal with Sirius." She sighed.

"Right, just call if you need anything." Aimy smiled and walked over to Remus. "Come on, let's go home. You need to go to sleep, I hear you never went to bed last night." She pulled him out of the chair, deaf to his protests of leaving his masterpiece and dragged him into the fireplace.

"Right, you're going to bed whether you like it or not, so you can cooperate and go to bed quietly or I will Stun you and force you to go to bed." Lily said and Sirius stopped running.

"No!" he shouted. Lily raised her wand. "Please don't hurt me!" He ran up to her and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I promise not to do it again. Don't hurt me."

"Do what?" Lily frowned at him.

"Whatever made you angry." He glared at her. "Why are you threatening me?"

"Go to bed, Sirius."

"Let's watch a movie! I just love movies. Muggles are so clever. How did they come up with them. Why can't wizards have movies? We should make a movie! Want to watch a movie with me? What should we watch? Or we could just watch TV. Sometimes there are funny shows on TV. What do you want to do? I want to watch a movie. Let's go to the movie store. Oh." Sirius' face fell. "You're moving away. You don't want to watch movies with me." Lily was confused, she wasn't sure how he had gone from pleading to hyper to sad quite that fast, but he had.

"Sure, Sirius, let's watch a movie." Lily sighed; at least it would get him to get into bed.

"Hooray!" He shouted and ran into his bedroom. When Lily got there, Sirius was under the blankets, a highly excited look of anticipation on his face. She laughed and turned on the TV. After about five minutes of play-by-play commentating on exactly what he thought about what was playing, Sirius went out like a light, fast asleep. Lily got carefully off the bed and then realized she was alone. She sat down on the couch and cried. She cried because her Honeymoon had been ruined, she cried because she had been attacked by Lord Voldemort himself, she cried because it was all his fault, she cried because she had thought her husband had been dead for so many terrible hours, she cried because she had been hurt and while she didn't make much of it, her cut did hurt, she cried because James was hurt and she cried because she was all by herself. Lily did not want to be alone just then. Lily wanted her friends to be near. She wanted Sirius to be awake and sober, she wanted Katy and James to come back with James completely Healed, she wanted all the Death Eaters to evaporate and never come back and Lily wanted You-Know-Who to die.

_so i know this should have been three different chapters but... i hope you like it! i know a lot happens... the next chapter will start a few weeks later, but it is already started so hopefully i can get it up tomorrow or the next day!_

_please review!_

_Lily_


	61. Chapter 60

_A hundred bajillion apologies for how long this has taken... to answer wolfygirl58's question: i'm not really sure how many more chapters. maybe tenish... not sure._

_also... i have not forgotten lucie! she makes an appearence in a few chapters... a scene i have had written for a long time and amhappy to finally use for many reasons. in fact, on that topic, the epilogue i have just completed writing )so maybe it's good to know that i do have a goal, i know what is going to happen) is actually all about Lucie. i will leave you with that unexplained idea!_

_and so enough of my babbling..._

Chapter 60  
_Katy_

"I do not want to go to this wedding." Lily glared at the frilly white paper in her hand. It was the wedding invitation to Petunia's wedding to Vernon Dursley.

"Then don't, we don't have to go." James pulled her into a chair so that she would stop pacing.

"Yes I do. It's my sister's wedding. If she hadn't come to ours, then I wouldn't. But she did and if I ever want to exchange another nice word with her, I have to go to this wedding." Lily frowned. Katy plopped down in the chair next to her.

"Well, it's just one afternoon. Besides, you can just leave when the party starts. Just stay long enough to wish them a happy life and then get out of there." Katy grinned. "I'll come and say You-Know-Who is attacking, that'll give you both a good excuse to leave and Petunia a good excuse not to complain. She won't want me there talking about You-Know-Who."

"As nice as that sounds, no. I'll just leave after a bit. James, you might have to come. Petunia would think it was hilarious if my husband didn't come. She'd probably assume you had left me or something."

"Ha! We'll out couple them!" James grinned wickedly.

"James, no! If Petunia thinks anyone is trying to steal her thunder… it won't be pretty." Lily frowned at him.

"What do you want with Lily's sister' thunder, Prongs?" Sirius came into the kitchen. "And where's my room?" He asked sitting down.

"Your room?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, don't I get a room?" he looked around the brand new kitchen in the Potter's, Katy still giggled to herself when she thought of Lily and James like that, new house.

"No, you don't get your own room, sorry Padfoot." James said. "I pushed for a house with a room for you, but Lily didn't go for it."

"That is a lie, James Potter." Lily said, but she was smiling. "Sirius, why would you want your own room in our house?"

"So that I can spend the night."

"You want to have sleepovers?" Katy giggled.

"No, _girls_ have sleepovers; I want to spend the night." He put on a look that was clearly supposed to be very manly.

"Oh, sorry, how could I have made such an enormous mistake?" Katy laughed.

"Well Sirius, if you want to spend the night for real, aren't you supposed to sleep in the same room? Or do men sleep in separate rooms when they have… spend the night…s." Lily tried to make that sentence work and was not successful.

"I suppose." Sirius didn't sound convinced.

"So when's the wedding?" James asked in an obvious attempt at getting the conversation off of Sirius' lack of a spend-the-night room.

"Second week of September." Lily groaned. "How about you two get married on the same day and I'll tell Petunia I can't come because I'm in your wedding."

"You were the one who said we had to go if you wanted a somewhat civil relationship with Petunia."

"I know, but I don't want to go!" Lily frowned. "She's a… ugh."

There was a silence that Katy thought was only awkward for her. She was thinking about what Lily had said, about her and Sirius getting married. Katy wanted to get married. She really wanted to, but she didn't know how to start that conversation. She decided that night she would just start it.

"Sirius when are we getting married?" she asked bluntly as they lay in bed that evening.

"I don't know." He said slowly. "When do you want to get married?"

"Soon." She whispered.

"I think Lily was joking about us getting married when Petunia gets married, Kate." He teased, kissing her forehead.

"I know, but I want to get married. I really do. Do you?" She turned to look at him.

"Of course I do, Katy I love you."

"Then when can we get married?" She asked eagerly and he laughed.

"We could get married tomorrow." He grinned. "We can elope." She frowned at him. "Or we could have a huge fancy wedding that put Lily and James' to shame." She giggled against her will.

"No, I want a small wedding. In a little church with just close family and friends."

"Not my family." Sirius frowned.

"I was thinking of the Potters actually." She said and he kissed her.

"You're right." He kissed her again. "I love you. So," he snapped into business mode. "What day is it?"

"Um, August 27." Katy frowned. "Why?"

"We, we have to decide when we're getting married don't we."

"It either has to be very soon or in a few months, either while it's still warm or after it snows." Katy smiled, trying to decide what she would like more, a summery, sunny wedding or a nice warm church with snow swirls out the windows. She decided the winter wedding. It wasn't all that usual and that was part of what attracted her. "How about Christmas?"

"You want to get married on Christmas day? I thought you wanted a soon wedding." Sirius frowned in confusion.

"Well, I just wanted to know for sure when we were getting married. If we choose a date then I'll know and be very happy."

"You want to get married on Christmas?" Sirius asked again.

"It doesn't have to be Christmas day, but wouldn't that be pretty? Snow all around a little church full of poinsettias."

"How about you plan all that? I don't think flower arranging is really my thing." Sirius smiled.

"How about Christmas Eve?" Katy had a picture firmly planted in her head now and it would take rather a lot to budge it. "And then we can wait one day to go on our Honeymoon and have Christmas with everyone and leave on the 26th." A plan was also forming rapidly. "We could go somewhere tropical, somewhere that's warm in December." She had gone off into her own little planning world and she knew Sirius could tell. He wasn't saying anything, just letting her paint her perfect picture in a happy, sleepy sort of way.

* * *

"How's this?" Lily called and appeared in the doorway of her closet.

"Lily, is it just me or is each dress you try on more and more…" Katy wasn't sure of the word to use. Revealing would have probably worked.

"Hmm, you think so?" Lily frowned, looked down at her dress and went back in the closet.

"Lily, please tell me you aren't subconsciously or consciously trying to find a dress that will annoy Petunia the most."

"I don't think so."

"Lily, wear something boring and safe, something Petunia won't hate you for." Katy suggested and was pleased when Lily came back out in a simple dress that had thick straps and a square cut neckline that was not very showy. "Perfect, now get out of here or you'll be late and she won't thank you for that." Katy dragged Lily out of the bedroom and downstairs where James was waiting in a Muggle suit. "Try and have fun and if you can't get away just tell Petunia that I've caught fire or something and just hint it has to do with magic if she asks how you know and she'll release you immediately so none of the other guests find anything out." Katy laughed.

Lily and James were gone for three hours and both came back with matching scowls on their faces.

"Lily, no offense but your sister is impossible!" James frowned.

"Don't even get me started." Lily glared at the air around her. "Snob." She muttered.

"Bad day?" Katy asked with a laugh.

"She didn't even talk to us! We waited and waited while she and Vernon talked to everyone else and then they just ignored us, so we left." Lily fumed.

Lily was angry for the rest of the day and still rather short for the rest of the week.

* * *

"Muggles are so cute on Halloween, don't you think?" Katy asked when they shut the door and turned out the kitchen light that beckoned the children in their apartment to their door on Halloween night. They had run out of candy and were both very tired.

"Some of them are actually quite ridiculous." Sirius said.

"But they're so cute!" Katy laughed. "I'm ready for bed. You coming?"

"Not just yet, I'll be a few minutes."

"Goodnight." Katy walked over and kissed him goodnight before going in the bedroom and getting into bed. She was asleep almost immediately though she had a very weird dream involving some of the weird Muggle costumes she had seen that night.

* * *

"I dislike November." Aimy frowned one cold morning. Katy and Lily and Aimy were all at Aimy and Remus' house and Remus, James , Sirius and Peter had gone out somewhere the night before and hadn't come back to this particular house yet. The three of them had spent the night together. "Too cold. Far too cold."

"But it's so pretty!" Katy loved the snow. It looked like it was dancing and there was just something happy about snow.

"Yes, but it's cold." Aimy frowned and pulled the thick blanket around herself more tightly. They three of them were all sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace wrapped in blankets drinking hot cocoa and toasting whatever they could find in the kitchen that would not taste awful when toasted and could be put on a fork. "I'll never know why you want to get married in the winter. I want a summer wedding, like you had." Aimy turned to Lily.

"It's going to be inside, not even I want to get married _in_ the snow." Katy giggled.

"It's only like a month away, right?" Lily asked Katy.

"A month and four days." Katy beamed at them. It was November 20th and Katy was glad for every passing day. "You okay, Lily?" She asked for Lily had just turned vaguely green.

"My stomach." She made a face and after a few minutes, it passed. "That was weird." She frowned. "But I don't think I'll have anymore to eat." She quickly set down her toasting fork.

"Anyone heard from Mary recently?" Aimy asked after a few minutes.

"I haven't, got a letter from her, but that was months ago and obviously she was at the wedding." Lily said. "But other than that, no. She works for the _Prophet_, right?"

"I never would have picked Mary out as the first of us to get a real job. I would have said one of you two." Katy laughed.

"I thought I saw her a couple of days ago, but I shouted at her a bit and she didn't look my way so I don't think it was her." Aimy shrugged. "I was just wondering. It's weird not seeing her every day. It's weird not having the four of us share a room anymore."

"Aimy, it's been like two years since we got out of Hogwarts." Katy rolled her eyes. "If you aren't used to it by now, you never will be."

"Seven years is a lot more than two." Aimy laughed. "Ask me how I feel in five years from now and then you can call me pathetic if I still think it's weird not to be in a dorm."

"Merlin, I'd hope not." Lily said. "You'll be 24."

"Maybe we'll have real lives then, real jobs, families and no Death Eaters."

"That will be a truly glorious day." Lily smiled at Katy.

"We should do some amazing on it. We should go somewhere fun and just… have a good time. Now worries, no problems, no nothing. Whenever it is that You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters go away, we're going to go out and have a blast. Celebrate everything. Deal?" Aimy said with a grin.

"Absolutely." Lily smiled widely.

"Definitely." Katy giggled. "I hope that day comes soon, it sounds like fun."

"And just us, okay?" Lily asked, smiling. "We can leave the boys home and if Aimy is right and there are families involved the children can stay home as well. We get a day to ourselves."

"Yes, the three of us having a perfect day." Aimy smiled delightedly. "Oh, I can't wait for that day to come."

"I just hope it does." Katy said darkly, a frown taking over her previously happy features.

"Don't say that." Lily scolded. "It will come, and the three of us will all be here to enjoy it."

"Yes, no more gloomy prophesies about You-Know-Who never going away." Aimy frowned at Katy. "Lily?" Aimy asked with a frown as Lily had once again turned faintly green.

"My stomach. Again." Lily grimaced and ran into the bathroom where they were treated to the delightful soundtrack of her throwing up.

"Lily, are you okay?"

"Maybe I'll head home." Lily said when she reappeared, a hand on her stomach. "If I'm getting sick I don't want to get you two sick as well."

"I probably should go home as well. If the boys come here, do send Sirius back home will you?" Katy said to Aimy who nodded.

"Same with me, tell James to get home as quick as he can." Lily smiled and walked over to the fireplace. She shouted the address and then disappeared in a whirl of green flames, Katy following shortly but not to the same destination.

_Lily's POV_

Lily hated being sick. She knew why she got sick sometimes, but she hadn't told anyone yet. Even knowing, she hated feeling crappy and she was not at all pleased that as the week of Katy and Sirius' wedding rolled around, she was still getting sick. Not that she threw up every day but she was certainly much queasier than she had ever been before and certain foods just made her stomach angry.

She decided not to tell Katy about the request Sirius and James had made of her, as it wouldn't likely go over to well with her. On the day before the wedding, the two of them had come up to Lily and asked what she had in the way of potions a person would take after being very drunk and what she had for headaches and various other similar complaints.

Katy stayed true to her word on a small wedding. The only guests were her dad and Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Lily, Aimy, James, Remus and Peter were all there, but in the wedding.

"Isn't that a bit weird?" Aimy asked in a whisper shortly before the wedding began. "Having more people in the wedding than guests?" Lily giggled and nodded. She had taken a few potions that morning so that she wouldn't get sick at the wedding and the side effect of one was that she felt slightly giddy and her stomach felt very fluttery, but somehow she didn't think that was solely thanks to the potions.

The wedding itself was very sweet. It took no more than ten minutes and then they had a short lunch and a very small party, though with only about ten people, parties can only get so big in the first place.

"That was cute, wasn't it?" Lily said to James that night in bed.

"The wedding? Yes, I suppose it was. I'm not really all that keen at identifying cuteness though, so we'll take your word for it."

"Anyone can tell cute when they see it, James." Lily grinned.

"Well, you're kinda cute, but that's about as far as my cute radar goes."

"Just kinda?" She giggled. "I suppose that will have to do."

"So I notice you felt pretty good all day. No throwing up or anything, so are you getting better?"

"I don't think so, I just took a lot of potions so I wouldn't get sick so it's possible I will be extra sick for a bit because of them."

"Do you know why you're sick?" James said and then sat up very suddenly. "You didn't get cursed by a Death Eater and not mention it, did you?" He looked intently at her.

"No, no, of course not." She waved him away and he lay back down.

"So why are you?" Lily didn't answer. James noticed. "Lily?" He looked at her and she didn't look back. "Lily why are you sick?"

"Oh, I don't know." She answered loftily and he snorted. "I'm really quite exhausted, must be getting to sleep. And you should too you know, Christmas is tomorrow." She kissed him goodnight and then spent the next half hour happily ignoring his commands to tell him why she was sick.

* * *

Lily got up before James had even stirred and she was halfway down their stairs when she felt something different. It was nice different, but something in the air was different. It smelled different and it felt like magic, not in the normal sense of the various Charmed objects their house contained, but really magical, like the kind of magic she had always dreamed about as a child. She opened the door into the kitchen and smiled to herself. James had obviously decorated a bit before he came to bed the night before.

Everything seemed to be sparkling and there were poinsettias all around and green ivy and little bells and, Lily noticed with a grin, a very obviously placed bunch of mistletoe just above her chair at the kitchen table which had already been set for two and had a little note on her plate.

_Lily,_

_Happy Christmas!_

_Open the box please, I know you'll be up  
before me, so open it or you'll be waiting  
and it will drive you mad._

_xxx_

Lily smiled widely and looked around for the box which she found in the middle of the table, how had she not noticed it before? It was a small white box with a big green bow tied around it. She carefully lifted the lid and found a lot of red tissue paper. Lifting up the tissue paper there was a necklace. It had a silver chain and a diamond pendant in the middle. It was beautiful and simple and Lily had a feeling it came from a Muggle store which made it all the dearer as James rarely ventured into the Muggle world without her for fear of being lost or attacked by various Muggle objects which he seemed to have the keen ability to irritate. Even those objects Lily hadn't previously known to be irritable. Smiling to herself, Lily slipped the necklace on and stood there happily, laughing quietly at how she must have looked; her long red hair nicely messed up from sleeping, a nightgown and a diamond necklace.

Lily made herself a cup of tea and waited for James to come downstairs. He did at around half past ten, smiling excitedly at her.

"You found it." He grinned.

"It's beautiful, James, thank you." She stood up to walk towards him.

"Wait. Stop." He grinned sheepishly. "I get to kiss you first, you're under the mistletoe."

"And I wonder how it got above my seat." Lily rolled her eyes. "I was going to kiss you anyway." He smiled and hurried over to her. They stood in the kitchen kissing for a few minutes before Lily felt her stomach flutter and knew it was time to share. "James?" she pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant." She paused while he stared at her. "Happy Christmas." She whispered and slipped out of his arms and into the living room, allowing him time to think.

Glancing back into the kitchen five minutes later, Lily saw that James was still standing completely still in the exact spot she had left him. She was just going to go and make sure he was still breathing when the doorbell rang and she went to answer it, assuming it was Sirius and Katy or Remus and Aimy or Peter maybe, or James' parents. Instead it was a large man who looked vaguely familiar though Lily couldn't think from what.

"Hello, miss." He said, shuffling on the spot. He pulled a festive looking tin out of a large coat pocket and held it up for her. "I'm collecting money for a local orphanage, would you like to donate some, for the children's Christmas, you know."

"Oh, yes, I'd love to, but my purse is upstairs, let me just go and get it." Lily started to close the door a bit, just so that not too much cold air would get in, but it wouldn't budge. "That's odd." She frowned at the door. "James, dear, could you come here and help me, the front door's jammed. Or maybe could you?" She turned to the collector man. He waited a few seconds to say anything, perhaps to see if James was coming but there was no response from the kitchen. "Would you mind terribly?" Lily asked.

"Suppose not." He muttered and she beckoned him forward and he grabbed hold of the door and started to pull. Nothing happened. Lily was leaning against the door on the other side pushing as hard as she could on it, but it wasn't even creaking.

"James could you come in here and help?" Lily called again. She wished she had her wand, she could fix the door with magic, but anyway, the Muggle man would have to leave first. "Well, I guess I'll just go and get my purse, thanks for trying, anyway." Lily went upstairs and again when she glanced in the kitchen, James was standing still staring into space. Obviously he needed a while to come to terms with her pregnancy. She found a suitable amount of Muggle money and went downstairs. The collector man was standing there with the front door in his hands. "Oh. You… you unstuck it." How exactly had he managed to rip off the front door without her hearing it?

"Yeah." He tossed it, far too casually out the hole it's absence created. "Having a nice Christmas, Mrs. Potter?" He pulled a wand from out of another coat pocket and Lily was terrified. A Death Eater was inside her house and she didn't have her wand with her. The front door was the least of her worries.

"James?" She said, willing him to wake up from his shock and come to her rescue. "James!" A little louder. "James!" She yelled at the top of her voice and the Death Eater sneered at her.

"Waiting for dear Mr. Potter to come to your rescue? Well, I can wait too, two at a time is much better than one."

In the kitchen, James had in fact just woken up from his shock, but he hadn't in time to hear Lily's shouting. He had noticed an owl flying toward the house and opened the kitchen window for it. It had a small scroll tied to its leg and as soon as James detached it, the owl flew away. His breath caught in his throat when he read it. It was from Dumbledore telling them that there was a rumor that an attack was being staged at the home of one of the Order and not to allow anyone in your home you didn't know for certain was your friend and not to answer your door or leave the house. James had his wand in his pocket, he made sure of it and, pushing his terror at bringing a baby into the current world out of his mind, went into the living room to warn Lily. Instead he found Lily standing up against the wall, terrified and a strange man he had never seen before twirling a wand looking right at home.

"Excellent, now I kill you both and we wait for the Order to come to your rescue and we'll kill them as well."

"We?" James had his wand pointed at the Death Eater's face though now the Death Eater's wand had stopped twirling and was pointed at Lily's heart. The Death Eater smiled and pointed out the hole where the front door used to be. James didn't even register the fact that it was missing as he was too busy being horrified at the amount a hooded figures in his front yard.

_Back to Lily…end of random interlude from James._

The Death Eater laughed wickedly at the terror that was plain on James' face and Lily was sure was also evident on her own. Lily had no idea what they were going to do. There had to be at least twenty Death Eaters out there and only two of them and she didn't even have her wand with her. It was on the bedside table upstairs. The three of them were all frozen as well. The Death Eater, though confident he would come out victorious, was a bit nervous at the wand pointed at his head. Lily briefly thought they must have made quite a strange tableau, her pressed against the wall, the Death Eater with his wand at her heart and James with his wand at the Death Eater's face.

Then a jet a green light flew across the front lawn. Lily was confused, why would the Death Eaters be killing? Who else was out there? She hoped it wasn't some poor Muggle out for a Christmas morning walk. Then there were shouts and more lights were flying around the yard and through the doorway Lily could see Order members. She was so thankful for their appearance she could have kissed every one of them, however the wand pointed at her made that a bit difficult.

"Lookie here, your little friends have shown up." The Death Eater leered. "Let's come outside then, they can watch you die. Go." He snarled at Lily who had no choice but to walk out the front doorway. She heard James follow the Death Eater who was following her and the sight that greeted her eyes was an awful one. There were about twenty Death Eaters standing in a circle in the middle of the yard and they were shooting continuous Killing Curses out around there where Order members were desperately trying to get a curse or two aimed at the Death Eaters without getting hit themselves. Lily could see five dead Order members and only two dead Death Eaters although just as they came out, two more Order members were hit. Then with a loud bang, the Death Eater pointing his wand at her was blasted backwards into the wall of the house and the force of it broke a large hole in the wall which started crumbling and Lily watched, momentarily paralyzed as her house fell apart behind her. The back half remained standing, but the front was gone. Lily looked down and saw a wand, she had no idea who it belonged to and grabbed it quickly, now she could begin to defend herself.

"James!" She shouted, James had also been transfixed by the sight of their house being destroyed. She snapped him back to reality and turned to join the fight. The Death Eaters had broken ranks and were now running around the yard instead of standing in a circle.

"No!" He grabbed her arm. "No, what if something happens to you? Or to the baby. Go insi… somewhere else. Appirate, Lily, please." Lily opened her mouth to contradict him when about eight Death Eaters were all blasted into the air and Lily saw Dumbledore, Dumbledore had come but she was afraid of what that meant. She was afraid of what had happened last time Dumbledore had been called to a fight. She glanced quickly at James who was rapidly paling and saw some of the Order members were using this momentary distraction to take down some more Death Eaters. Then there was a single silent moment and he was there. His red eyes seemed to burn and Lily couldn't move. You-Know-Who was in her front yard and her house was mostly a pile of rubble. No one else was moving either. The Death Eater were watching him with avid anticipation, the Order members were frozen with fear, no one knew what to do. Dumbledore, however, was watching You-Know-Who with unbelievable calm, he was simply standing there, almost like he was waiting for something rather boring to begin happening.

"So nice of you to stage this little fiesta on Christmas Day, Tom." What was Dumbledore talking about, Lily wondered, since when was You-Know-Who called "Tom"? "You must really be feeling the holiday spirit this year." You-Know-Who snarled angrily and sent a Killing Curse at Dumbledore who deflected it with a very innocent looking flick of his wand.

"Well, well," You-Know-Who turned his attention to Lily and James. "I expected you to be dead when I arrived."

"Sorry to disappoint you." James glared at him.

"Yes, quite, now where is…" You-Know-Who looked around.

"The man you sent to kill us?" James asked pleasantly. "I think he's in there." He pointed back at the pile of rubble behind where they were standing. "Somebody blasted him into the wall, you see, that's why the house fell down, but I think getting shot through a wall and then having a house fall on top of you would be pretty rough, so I expect he's dead." Lily wanted James to stop. Didn't he know that aggravating You-Know-Who was a bad idea? You-Know-Who did exactly what Lily expected he would, his wand came up and was pointed at James and then it switched to Lily. James grabbed hold of her hand and You-Know-Who's eyes narrowed. His mouth opened but Lily never heard what he said because apparently James hadn't grabbed her hand in a desperate attempt at having their last minute alive be together but because he was Appirating them both to a place not infested with Death Eaters. She saw You-Know-Who's mouth opening and then she felt herself being sucked into a black tube and for a minute she thought that was death. Then she was along a street she had never seen before with trees on either side and a pretty meadow off to one side.

"What just happened?" She asked James.

"I Appirated us away from there. I don't care if you think I'm a coward for it, we had to get out of there."

"I don't think you're a coward, but I'm worried about the others." Lily got up and started pacing. "I didn't see Katy or Sirius there. I saw Remus but only briefly." She stopped pacing. "Where are we?"

"Honestly? No idea." James shrugged. "I just Appirated, I wanted somewhere I knew they wouldn't be."

"Don't you have to concentrate on where you're going or you splinch?"

"You're supposed to, but I think the rules change a bit in life or death situations."

"Well, let's go someplace we know of." Lily pulled James off the ground. "Where should we go?"

"We'll go and look for Kate and Sirius." James grabbed her hand and together they Appirated to King's Court Road and went inside the apartment building. They rounded the corner as it they were going up the stairs and then James grabbed her hand and Appirated them up to the sixth floor where they rushed down the hall and banged on the door of Number 14. There were a few bangs and thumps and something that sounded rather like splashing from somewhere within and a loud complaint and cursing of whoever was at the door from Sirius and Katy flung it open, quickly adjusting a bathrobe she had evidently just put on and she had dripping hair.

"Oh!" She said in surprise when she saw Lily and James. "I didn't expect it to be you. Happy Christmas!" She hugged them both and pulled them inside. "Oh…" She turned red when she turned around and it didn't take very long for Lily to see why she was embarrassed. Her wedding dress and Sirius' dress robes were both sort of flung on random pieces of furniture in the living room. "Having a nice morning?" She asked in an unnaturally high pitched voice. It was then that Sirius came out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was also dripping wet. He was also scowling, apparently he was ready to be angry with whomever the intrusive guests were but his scowl disappeared when he saw Lily and James. Lily stifled a giggle and James was less successful, his snort being heard loud and clear.

"I take it you two have been having a nice Christmas." He smirked and Katy turned redder.

"You want to get dressed, then we'll talk?" Lily said and Katy beamed at her before pushing Sirius into their bedroom.

"That was one of the more awkward welcomes I've gotten in this house." James said. "Well, we're certainly going to be raining on their parade."

"We _should_ tell them, right? I mean they're leaving on their Honeymoon tomorrow! Should we let them have their… fun… and then shoot them down?" Lily asked doubtfully. She had no idea what to do.

"Well how else do we explain why we're here?"

"To see them on Christmas." Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Maybe, but we were all supposed to eat dinner tonight at our house. Either we make up some rubbish excuse like our stove blew up or we have to tell them the truth. We can't just take them back to the house as it is. I don't know if we can even go back ever. It's probably completely destroyed and I doubt the Death Eaters will never come back." James got up and walked over to the door where, on the floor, unnoticed, sat a scroll of paper. "They didn't see it."

"See what?" Lily asked and she walked over to James and he handed her the scroll which she unrolled and read. "We never got one." She frowned.

"Yes we did. That' why I came in the living room, to tell you not to answer the door." James pulled her back to the couch. "They must have been really…" He trailed off, laughing a bit.

"Distracted?" Lily giggled.

"I was thinking of 'busy' but 'distracted' will work."

"Well, we had a nice about three minutes of Christmas." Lily sighed. "What sort of sick person wants to kill on Christmas?" She glared at the floor.

"I didn't imagine you telling me you were pregnant, right?" James asked after a pause. He pulled her chin up and kissed her softly on the lips.

"No, you didn't." She whispered.

"We're having a baby?" He asked.

"That is what usually happens when a girl gets pregnant." Lily giggled.

"Can I feel it?" James asked, putting his hand on her stomach.

"I don't think so, not yet. It hasn't started kicking or anything, just that I feel little flutters sometimes and about a week ago I used a Muggle pregnancy test and it was positive." Lily smiled at him and he leaned in to kiss her.

"Hey! If you're barging in on us, you don't get to do that." Sirius' voice pulled them apart and Lily grinned sheepishly up and a mostly dressed Sirius and Katy who were standing in the doorway of their bedroom.

"We're not trying to take a bath together." James grinned. "So you can't talk." Katy blushed and Sirius grinned back.

"Fair point." He pulled Katy over to an armchair and sat down with her on his lap. "Now what are you doing here?"

"Isn't Christmas supposed to be about seeing your family?" Lily asked.

"And she's right here." Sirius hugged Katy tightly to himself.

"And we aren't your family?" James pretended to be hurt.

"Sure you are Prongs, but, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, I'd rather jump off a cliff than take a bath with you."

"I share the feeling." James said. "Don't you worry, I share the feeling. Well, not that we're all here and no one is naked, how's everyone doing?" Lily wanted to cringe at how obvious James was that something was up.

"I ask again, why are you here?"

"Actually, Padfoot, you asked what we were doing here before."

"Same thing. So what's the answer? And don't say nothing or you wanted to say 'Happy Christmas', cause we know you way better than that. Something bad happened and you don't want to say."

"You know, sometimes you can be faintly perceptive, Sirius Black." Lily smiled.

"I'm going to just assume that's a compliment."

"You do that."

"Alright, now what happened?" Katy put a hand over Sirius' mouth as he had opened it to say something else.

"Here." James picked up the scroll that they hadn't noticed. "You guys were too busy to see this, but everyone in the Order got one, I guess." He handed it to her.

"No!" She shouted upon reading it. "No, no, no! What happened? Where was it? Did anyone get hurt? Oh Merlin." She was white and looked terrified. The smile had snapped off Sirius' face when he read the note and he was rather pale.

"They came to our house." James said quietly.

"What?" Katy whispered. "Oh, no." She turned and slapped Sirius on the shoulder. "We should have been paying attention." She said fiercely.

"Oh. Yes, I guess we should have." Sirius was obviously confused as to how this had suddenly become his fault.

"No, no, it's fine." Lily said quickly. "You guys got married yesterday. You certainly don't have to get up and fight Death Eaters the next day."

"You had to on your Honeymoon." Katy pointed out.

"Yes but… well, we'd been on it for a week already, it wasn't less than 24 hours after we got married."

All in all, it wasn't the Christmas Lily had been hoping for. She never did tell Katy and Sirius that she was pregnant, it never came up, she and James had had to shout them down and force them to actually go on their Honeymoon as they were both thinking perhaps they ought to stay and they could take their Honeymoon later.


	62. Chapter 61

_so mostly the reason this is going up now is because i have no idea if it will tell you that i replaced the little note thingy from me with the previouis chapter, so if you didn't know i did that. close your eyes or block out the screen and read the chapter before this one as it has important things in it._

Chapter 61  
_Katy_

Katy hated being jealous. But she was finding herself jealous of Lily a lot in the past six months. Lily had gotten married and Katy had been jealous of that. And now Lily was having a baby. Now that she had gotten married, Katy wanted children. There was a part of her that said she should wait and not have kids until You-Know-Who had been dealt with, but then a contradictory part of her would say something annoyingly true like _what if he never gets defeated?_ But mostly the part of her that wanted a child won those arguments.

She and Lily had wandered into a baby store and were idly looking at cribs and strollers and high chairs and baby clothes. Not that Lily wanted to buy anything just then, she wasn't due until the beginning of August and didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl.

"Look at this!" Katy had stopped in front of a tiny little dress. It was pink and fluffy and had flowers on it and a matching headband. The label said it was for three to six month old baby girls.

"Oh that's adorable." Lily smiled at it. "All these clothes are so cute." She put her hand on her stomach, you could just tell she was pregnant, she was three months along.

"Yes but that is less cute." Katy pointed out the door where rain had started to fall. It was late February and the weather was very dreary. "I wish it would be snowy or sunny. I don't like in between."

"Well then, don't look out there and take a look at this." Lily held up a little boy's outfit. It was blue cotton overalls with colorful trains sewn onto the front. It had a white t-shirt under it.

"If I have a son, he is wearing that." Katy smiled at it. "Oh Merlin, that's so sweet."

"Mmm." Lily agreed, thoughtfully sounding, but Katy could tell she wasn't paying attention in the least.

"Lily!" Katy waved her hand in front of Lily's face and Lily grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"This baby is making you a major space, you know that?"

"What's wrong with being a bit spacey from time to time?" Lily asked and then ginned. "You do it enough, you ought to know."

"Thanks." Katy frowned. "Let's go, shall we? There really isn't much we can do in a baby store with one of us pregnant and only three months pregnant at that." Lily nodded and they stepped out into the rain.

However they didn't get very far as Lily zoned out again right in front of the shop, her hand on her stomach, thinking to herself.

"Lily!" Katy shouted and shook Lily's shoulder. "You're doing it again."

"Sorry." Lily grinned.

"You know, that's going to get you into trouble one of these days." Katy joked but as soon as she said it, she wished she hadn't. Somehow it felt like bad luck to prophesize trouble in the future. They Appirated back to the Potter's house. It had taken extensive renovations and a lot of Memory Charms to fix it, but it was pretty much back to normal.

* * *

As the month of March progressed, attacks were happening more and more. They weren't very big attacks but almost every day some Order member or other would have a story to tell about being ambushed or some Order member or another would have to break the news that one of them had been killed or they would read about countless Muggle deaths, and some Order deaths as well, in the newspaper every day. It seemed the Death Eaters were using more than just the Killing Curse. Half the time they were sending Order members to St. Mungo's with internal injuries that were resistant to pretty much every known Healing potion or that addled their brains. They had also started using the Imperious Curse a lot more and getting information out of the Order or turning Order members into spies.

Life was seeming steadily darker, however, one morning changed all that for Katy. She was standing in her bedroom, looking at her profile in the mirror. Her stomach had gotten bigger, that was for sure. She cupped her hands around her stomach, willing something to happen, she wanted to feel a little flutter, she thought she had been feeling something for the past week and Lily was always feeling little flutters. She knew that most people knew if they were pregnant at closer to two months, but with all the excitement, she hadn't really noticed. As she thought about it, however, she could place more than once in the last month or so that her stomach had felt a little off, but she had always attributed it to the hectic things going on in her life. There was a knock on the door, but Katy didn't notice, Lily came in and gasped when she saw Katy.

"Kate!" She whispered in an excited voice. "Are you…?" She glanced down at Katy's stomach with an expectant smile. "Pregnant?" She put her hand around her own stomach, the bump getting larger as Lily was five months along.

"I don't know." She said quietly. "How did you know?" She looked questioningly at Lily.

"I just knew there was someone there. And I used a test, it was a Muggle one, but they always seem to work and I thought, why not?" Lily smiled. "Do you want to try it?" Katy nodded and allowed Lily to pull her out of the house. "So now we go into town?" She said and started marching Katy up the road. They got into town in about five minutes and Lily took her into the first drugstore they found. "Hello, I'd like to buy a pregnancy test." She said to the shop assistant who looked at her like she was a bit crazy.

"I think it's safe to say you're pregnant, Mrs." The shop assistant looked like she was about sixteen and could hardly care less.

"Not for me, for my friend." Lily sounded impatient and Katy laughed quietly to herself but stopped because the teenage girl showing them to aisle five gave both her and Lily a look that clearly said "Aren't you two a little young to be pregnant?" Katy glared at the girl and followed Lily up the aisle. "Right, so we should buy about four, just in case one is faulty, besides, it's more accurate that way. If they all say the same thing, we can be pretty sure it's true. And get different brands." Lily said commandingly and Katy let her take charge. She didn't know her way around Muggle things and Lily did.

They got back to Katy's house and went inside. Lily took her to the bathroom and sat down on the bathtub rim.

"So, I can leave in a bit, but I reckon you don't know how to work these." Lily said giggling.

"Nope. Why are we in the bathroom."

"Well," Lily opened the first box and pulled out a small while stick like thing with a flat bit on one end. "You pee on it." Katy was pretty sure Lily had lost it.

"I pee on it?"

"Yes, something in urine changes when you are pregnant, so you pee on the flat part here. And do all four, but try not to get it on the other part." Lily added the last bit with a distasteful face.

"How does it tell us if I'm having a baby?" Katy regarded the stick in her hand warily.

"Well, the little screen there tells us. Some have a happy face if it's positive and some have a plus, but it's obvious which one it is, trust me."

"If you're sure." Katy was still not convinced but decided to give it a try. Lily laughed at her look of concern and left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. As soon as the door shut, Katy took off her pants, feeling very foolish. She was in the process of peeing on the third test they bought when she heard Sirius come in the front door. She could tell Lily was trying very hard not to tell what Katy was doing but when Sirius asked why she kept staring at the bathroom door, Katy figured that Lily wasn't doing a very good job of being subtle. She finished peeing on the weird little Muggle sticks and carefully wiped each one off, lest anything undesirable got on the part she was going to touch, washed her hands thoroughly, grabbed all four of them and went back into the living room.

"Okay, now I'm really curious. Lily, you were acting all awkward and staring at the bathroom door and now Katy came out of it. What in Merlin's name is going on?" Sirius asked, looking back and forth between Lily and Katy.

"Just a sec, you." Katy grinned. "Now what do we do?"

"Wait, it usually takes about a minute." Just as Lily said that, something was changing on the first two tests. The little screen on them now had stuff on it. The first one, Katy picked it up and almost fell over, had a little plus sign was clearly etched in. Lily had looked at the second one and squeaked. It had a smiley face on it.

"What are we so happy about?" Sirius asked and came over, grabbing one of the other two, Katy made a face, Sirius had not grabbed it on the part she would want to touch. "Ooh, yay, a smiling face!" he said with mock enthusiasm. "Why is that so good?"

"Sirius, put that down, that is disgusting!" Katy ordered.

"You were touching it!"

"Not like that." Lily said laughing and Sirius looked utterly confused. The last test also had a smiley face on it. Katy sunk down in a couch with her hands on her stomach. "So they were all positive?" Lily asked, but it wasn't really a question and Katy knew that.

"Yup, I guess I am then." She had quite forgotten Sirius was in the room, although he brought the attention back to himself quickly.

"Hello? You are what? I think I have a right to know, you are my wife you know."

"I'm more than a wife." Katy looked at him.

"Of course you are. Now what do those stick things mean and why was it gross I touched them?"

"It was gross because I peed on them and you touched the part I peed on." Katy burst out laughing at Sirius' horrified face.

"Why would you pee on a plastic stick?"

"Because it's a pregnancy test." Katy said quietly and Sirius nearly fell over in surprise.

"It's a what-now?" He asked.

"A pregnancy test. And they were all positive. Sirius we're having a baby." Katy smiled hopefully up at him. "And I'd guess we're about three months along."

"A baby?" Sirius asked. "Like her?" He pointed at Lily.

"Yes, like Lily and James." Katy pulled Sirius into a chair, as he was looking rather faint.

"You're pregnant." He said and it seemed like it was mostly to himself. "I made you pregnant?" He looked up with wide eyes and Katy giggled.

"Well, I helped…" Katy giggled. "Of course you did! This is your baby." She pointed at her stomach and saw Lily frown out of the corner of her eye. "Our baby." She said to Lily who looked happier to hear that.

"Sirius Black has reproduced?" James asked with a grin that night, Katy and Sirius had had Lily and James over to dinner although Lily had already told James their big news. "What a scary thought." He laughed.

"No less scary that you producing an heir." Sirius countered with a frown.

"I don't think it's scary, it's wonderful!" Lily smiled. "They'll only be two months apart, it will be perfect!" James and Sirius spent the next five minutes arguing about which one of them having a baby was scarier. "This is missing something." Lily said all of a sudden, frowning down at the piece of chicken on her plate. She got up and ran into the kitchen.

"This is going to be gross." James frowned. "She'll come back with something disgusting and put it on her food and act like it tastes good. She does this all the time." He was right, Lily reappeared in a few minutes clutching a bottle of maple syrup. She poured it lavishly over her chicken and started eating it with a smile.

"Oh, Merlin." Katy clutched her stomach. Watching Lily eat chicken and maple syrup had not been something her stomach had appreciated. She ran into the bathroom and what she had already eaten of her dinner came back up again into the toilet.

* * *

Katy wasn't sure if it had to do with the fact that she knew she was pregnant or not, but she seemed to all of a sudden be getting morning sickness. She had been pregnant for three months, but she hadn't known and she hadn't really gotten sick then and now that she knew she was getting sick almost every morning.

"Ah the gentle sound of throw up in the morning." Sirius grinned as he entered the bathroom one morning in late March where she was crouched on the floor in front of the toilet. "I always know when it's time to get up. You're like clockwork, you know that? You always throw up at around eight twenty which is a fine time to get up I think."

"You're using my misery as an alarm clock?" Katy frowned at him. "Help me clean up, oh husband of mine." She pointed at the various yuck that had missed the toilet.

"Since when do I have to do your dirty work?"

"Since you got me pregnant. Now buck up and shoulder your duty like a man." She giggled. He shrugged and waved his wand once and it was gone. "Gosh, don't overexert yourself this early in the morning." She rolled her eyes. "Now, because we got rid of all that food. We're hungry."

"We?"

"Me and the baby. So let's get cracking. I want breakfast." Katy marched into the kitchen of the apartment with Sirius following her. "Let's go see Lily!" Katy shouted after forcing Sirius to cook her a very big breakfast.

"But we haven't eaten." He protested weakly. "All the food will get cold."

"We can heat it up, let's go see Lily!"

"Katy, you've gotten really weird, you know that."

"Hormones." Katy collapsed in her chair and began eating like she would never be fed again.

"Slow down, Kate, you'll choke."

"I've never realized exactly how good food tastes, have you?"

"Yeah, it's pretty good." Sirius looked worried. "Do you think maybe we should go to St. Mungo's? Just to make sure everything's alright? You've never been like this before." He frowned.

"No, I want to see Lily. She needs me right now."

"How do you know?"

"I'm not sure." For the first time that morning, Katy stopped her forceful going-through of the day and tried to think. "I don't know why I know, but I know she needs me today. Please, can we go! Please, please, please!"

"You don't have to beg… sure we can go." Sirius frowned at her again but went a grabbed coats for them. "Alright, come on then." He pushed her to the fireplace when she grabbed a handful of Floo power and whirled away.

James was sitting on the couch when Katy flew out of the fireplace. He looked troubled, to say the least.

"How did you know to come? I was just going to call and ask."

"See!" Katy said triumphantly to Sirius when he appeared. "She does need me."

"Well, I don't really know. She's still asleep."

"Then what's the problem, Prongs?" Sirius asked.

"Well, she was tossing and turning all night and she just won't wake up. I've tried talking to her and shouting at her and shaking her and I even pulled all the covers off but she won't wake up." Katy grinned and ran upstairs where she Summoned a bucket of water and dumped it out over Lily who sputtered to life shrieking.

"Katy Cupit, I'll get you for…" Lily blinked. She looked wildly around. She looked at Katy who was laughing, bent over double, but Katy stopped as soon as she saw Lily's face. "Katy, where are we?"

"Your house…" Katy frowned. "Lily, what's up?"

"This isn't my house." Lily said, glancing suspiciously around the bedroom. She put her hands on her hips and gasped. Her hands moved forward and found her stomach. "What is that?" She rubbed her stomach.

"Your stomach…" Katy was starting to get seriously alarmed.

"I know that, but why is it shaped like that?"

"Because you're pregnant." Katy frowned at Lily who fell backward onto the bed in surprise just as James came in.

"Lily, you woke up!" He smiled and Katy just had time to see Lily's look or surprise and horror before James leaned forward and kissed her. "How are you two this morning? I was really worried about you, nothing I did would wake you up."

"Nothing you did?" Her voice was low and dangerous. James drew back at once. "And what exactly did you do to me, Potter?" His eyes widened in surprise and Katy frowned. Lily hadn't called James "Potter" since sixth year.

"I... what? Lily, are you okay?"

"I don't know what's going on, or if this is some kind of sick joke, but can we please call it off." Lily glared heatedly around the room. "I'd expect this of them," She pointed disgustedly over and James and Sirius who both seemed to shrink a little and then she looked angrily at Katy. "But I'd have thought you wouldn't play along. Really, Kate, and considering what hap…" Lily broke off, tears welling up in her eyes. James seemed to be itching to go and comfort her, but they all seemed to sense that there was something seriously unusual going on and after the result of the last time James went near her, Katy was glad he didn't try it again.

"What happened, Lily?"

"What happened to your hair?" Lily asked suddenly as if she had only just noticed. "Why is it black… and long?"

"Lily, my hair's been like this for years. Ever since the day after fifth year ended. You know that."

"The day after fifth year ended?" Lily gaped at her. "Katy, we don't get out until Saturday."

"What are you talking about, Lily?" Katy was confused.

"We still have three more OWL's and we don't get out until the weekend."

"Does she think it's fifth year?" Sirius asked from the doorway.

"I'm not sure yet…" Katy frowned and then suddenly she knew what Lily had been talking about. The thing that had just happened. Lily must think it was the day after Snape had called her a Mudblood and she had been so angry with James. But that made no sense. Why would she think that? "Lily, how old are we?"

"You guys are insane." Lily frowned suspiciously at Katy and glared at James and Sirius. "You just turned sixteen like a month ago. We're all sixteen. Except… what happened to you guys… you all look different. But I can't quite tell why. But you look… I don't know. Weird."

"Lily. You're twenty. James is twenty. Sirius is twenty. I'm still nineteen but I'll be twenty in about two months."

"I am not twenty. I'm sixteen." Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Come and look in the mirror." Katy got up and dragged Lily over to the mirror on her dressing table and Lily's mouth opened in surprise.

"When did I... I look… my hair is longer than that!"

"No it isn't. You cut it a few weeks ago."

"Did not." Lily frowned.

"Yes you did."

"Why is my stomach like this?" Lily asked, once again rubbing her stomach.

"Because you're five months pregnant."

"No I am not!" Lily shrieked.

"Yes, actually you are. And I'm three months pregnant."

"Katy! Katy how is it you never told me anything about that before now."

"I did tell you. You were there when I took the tests. And you are pregnant."

"I am not pregnant." Lily said stubbornly.

"Yes you are and now you'd better apologize for yelling at your husband." Katy had a feeling this would not be well accepted but said it anyway.

"Husband?" Lily yelled. "So now I'm married, too?"

"Yeah, since last July."

"To who?" There was a definite caution in Lily's tone.

"James." Katy said simply, expecting a hurricane and getting one.

"JAMES POTTER!? YOU THINK I'M GOING TO MARRY POTTER?? ARE YOU INSANE??" Lily screeched at the top of her voice.

"Alright, alright, calm down, you don't have marry him." Katy watched anxiously as Lily's slowly calmed down and contented herself with shooting death glares in the direction of a very confused and hurt James Potter. "But why don't we go and see Madame Pomphrey? She'll know what to do."

"I'm not sick."

"No, but clearly I am for thinking all these ridiculous things like you and I being pregnant and you being married to James so maybe Madame Pomphrey can give me something to fix that and perhaps give you a little something to help you calm down." Katy said tentatively.

"I... I suppose. But they can't come." She pointed at James and Sirius.

"Right, they can't come." Katy agreed quickly and before anyone could contradict her, she steered Lily down the stairs and into the living room where she Flooed them into a very surprised Professor McGonagall's office. "Er, I'm going crazy and so Madame Pomphrey is going to fix me and Lily's all riled up and needs a calming potion." She said quickly and McGonagall's eyebrows shot up.

"What was that, Mrs. Cupit?" She asked and Katy grinned. She still loved being called "Mrs. Cupit".

"Mrs.?" Lily gawked at McGonagall. "Why did you call her Mrs., Professor?"

"Because that is what one usually calls a married woman, _Mrs._ Potter." McGonagall stressed the "Mrs." And Lily turned red.

"I am not married to Potter!" She growled. "I'll meet you in the hospital wing." She stormed off.

"She's not having second thoughts is she?" McGonagall asked with a frown.

"No, I don't know what happened but she seems to think it's the last week of our fifth year. So she still hates James, and I have no idea why this just came up. It must be a curse but I can't think of when it was cast." Katy frowned. "Right, I have to go before Lily notices anything else strange and freaks out."

"Yes, do." McGonagall said with a confused frown. "They just don't leave you four alone, do they?"

"No, Professor, they don't." Katy felt like a young student for some reason saying that and hastily took her leave.

Lily was resting on a bed in the hospital wing examining her stomach when Katy got there. Madame Pomphrey came bustling over when Katy got in and pulled Katy off to the side.

"She said she wanted a calming potion so I gave her one but then she started telling me about how you were having these weird hallucinations involving both of you being pregnant and her married to James Potter. I assumed that was a skewed sense of what had actually happened and so didn't contradict it but what exactly is going on?"

"I don't really know. James says she was tossing and turning all night and then she wouldn't wake up when he was shaking her and yelling but she sprung right up when I dumped a bucket of water on her and she didn't know where she was, but she was in her own room, and then she yelled at James when he tried to kiss her and didn't believe me when I told her she was pregnant and married to James and so I suggested we come here because I'm obviously going insane and she was so riled up she would do well with a calming draught. I couldn't think of a better way to get her here."

"No, no, that was very good." Madame Pomphrey got up and walked over to Lily and began waving her wand around over Lily and muttering to herself. "You don't have to wait here if you don't want to." She said to Katy and then turned back to her work.

Katy glanced around the Hospital Wing. It had been years since she had been inside it. There were only four beds being used and Katy wandered out and down to the Great Hall where some students were just finishing their breakfasts. They were all older students who had free periods and had therefore decided not to wake up very early. They all seemed a bit surprised to see her as most of them knew who she was on account of having only been a years behind her. She ran into Professor Slughorn who beamed at her and bounced around for a while and then announced he was going to retire at the end of the next year and left in the sort of jolly way he does. Then she wandered back up to the Hospital Wing and was not pleased to see it empty of Lily.

"Madame Pomphrey?" She called out and Madame Pomphrey appeared, shushing her fussily. "Where did Lily go?"

"She went home, said she had to apologize or something." Katy smiled her thanks and raced to McGonagall's classroom where a class was in session. Unfortunately Katy hadn't been expecting it.

"It's okay, she's better. She knows she's married and pregnant and she's back apologizing to James." It was then that she noticed there were students in the room.

"Exactly how do you manage to interrupt my classes when you aren't even a student anymore?" McGonagall asked with a frown and the students, second or third years by the look of them, all tittered quietly.

"Sorry! Was Lily here?"

"She left just a few minutes ago." McGonagall said.

"Lovely, charming to see you, do take care; have a nice class, good bye." Katy ran into her office and Flooed back to the Potters where Lily was profusely apologizing for her behavior to James who looked like he was enjoying it very much.

That evening a letter arrived at the Potters explaining what had happened to Lily. She had been cursed some time earlier and the curse had, at the time, shown no symptoms or side effects so it had been forgotten but all it did was make the person travel back in time, within their own mind, and be severely terrified when they were told of what had happened. She added that usually the curse takes you back to a time when your feelings for the world and the people around you were about opposite they are just then as you are most likely to have a bad reaction to people you hate.


	63. Chapter 62

_I promise I will try to get these updates sooner. I actually have about six more chapter written but I'm going to wait some time between each one._

Chapter 62  
_Lily_

"James Potter, get down here right now!" Lily shouted up the stairs. She and Katy had just gotten back from walking into town. Sirius and James had been at the house and upon entering the living room, she and Katy had been surprised that all the furniture was gone. Katy had pointed up with an open mouth and Lily had looked to see it had all been stuck in some way to the ceiling.

"Yes, my darling dearest wife?" James appeared in the doorway with Sirius right behind them, both smiling angelically.

"Won't you sit down?" Lily asked sweetly. "There's something I'm just itching to ask you."

"Certainly." James pulled out his wand and Conjured an arm chair which he sat comfortably down in. "What was it you wanted to ask me?" Lily grinned and walked over to him. She put her hands down on the arms of his chair and her face right in front of his and her smiled turned into a glare.

"What the bloody hell is our furniture doing on the ceiling?"

"What do you speak of, my sweet lovely Lily?"

"Please don't do this right now, James." She frowned at him. "What did you do?" She turned to Sirius who took a few steps back and then, after a few glances around the room, went and hid behind Katy.

"Oi! I'm not a wall." Katy turned around and pushed Sirius out from behind her. "If you make Lily mad you get to deal with the consequences. I'm not taking her wrath for you." Katy grinned at Lily. "Why on earth you would want to make Lily mad is beyond me, but I'm certainly ready to watch her rip you two to pieces. I'll never know just how it is she can make you guys confess, but I wish I could do it too."

"Traitor." Sirius stuck his tongue out at her and turned to face Lily. "So what's our punishment?" he asked brightly.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked.

"What do we have to do to get back in your good graces? How long is our exile this time?"

"Your exile?" Lily asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, you always get mad at us for a time and hardly talk and then one day, in a completely alarming and random way, you're our best friend again. How long this time?" He smiled at her.

"Oh, no punishment this time. Just fix the room." She waved around the room. "That's so good of you." She leaned down and kissed James on the forehead and pulled Katy out of the room , leaving two very confused people behind them.

"You aren't really not punishing them are you?"

"Of course not. And you're going to help me." Lily grinned.

"I'm intrigued. What are we doing?" Katy giggled.

The next day Lily and Katy spent an entire afternoon making themselves dinner. They cooked all day together and made only their favorite things that they didn't get to eat very often. However they didn't make very much food. James and Sirius kept coming in and making appreciative faces and asking for tastes which were given about half the time. They were just serving up dinner and sitting down at the dining room table when James and Sirius poked their heads round the door holding plates and looking confused.

"Where did the food go?" James asked.

"It's here." Lily pointed at her plate and Katy's.

"That's just your food." Sirius said.

"Well spotted." Katy grinned.

"Is there some sort of problem?" Lily asked.

"Yes, the food's disappeared." James frowned.

"My, my, so it has." Lily said. "Well, I'm much to hungry to think about disappearing food right now and my food will get cold soon so why don't you two just fix something quick to eat and we'll figure out where the rest went after."

"But then we'll have already eaten." Sirius said.

"You can have it tomorrow." Lily shrugged.

"The food didn't disappear, did it?" Katy whispered when the boys retreated moodily into the kitchen.

"No." Lily smiled. "We just didn't make enough for four." She sighed. "If only I'd known they wanted to eat with us."

The rest of the week was much the same. Lily didn't really do anything to them, but she just gave them a few extra obstacles with everything they tried to do and Katy thought it was hilarious that they never caught on. But Lily Potter was far too sweet to ever do anything like that so it couldn't have anything to do with her.

* * *

"Lily, what is going on out there?" Katy heard Aimy ask as she entered the Potter's kitchen one morning. Looking out Katy snorted and sat down.

"Reminiscing." Lily said wisely and giggled as well. "They miss Hogwarts."

And apparently they did. James, Sirius and Peter had all transformed and were in the backyard. Remus was there as well and he seemed to have gotten himself in a bit of a fix. He was holding a stick and being chased around the yard by Sirius-in-dog-form. Peter-as-a-rat was sitting on top of James-the-stag's head and they were both watching the other two run around the yard.

"I haven't got the faintest idea how that started." Lily shrugged. "Why do you two always send them to _my_ house?"

"Cause we know how much you've always loved them." Katy grinned. "Remus just probably told Sirius he was going to throw the stick and Sirius was going to fetch it and that was apparently not taken well." She sighed and accepted a cup of tea from Lily. "Oh, come on." She said after a few minutes, scowling at the sky as it had just begun to rain. Slowly the four outside came back inside, Peter and James were returned to their original forms as Lily point blank refused to allow a rat or stag in her house but Sirius had somehow managed to evade being forbidden and he stayed as a dog to come in the house. However, he was soon thrown back outside and so came in again, as a human.

"Just what was that for?" He frowned at Lily when he got in.

"You looked like you were about to do that thing wet dogs do and spray the entire kitchen with water." Lily gigged. "Which, speaking of, you four had better either change, dry yourselves or go back outside." There was a lot of grumbling at this. "Fine, then out." She opened the door and pointed them out. With a lot more grumbling Remus, Sirius and Peter went outside. "You too." Lily said to James. James assumed the smile he always put on when he thought he was being cute and wanted something out of Lily. "No, go, now." She frowned and he went outside. Katy was laughing. The other three had made a kind of shelter for themselves.

"Why didn't they just dry themselves?" Aimy asked.

"Because that would be playing by the rules," Katy giggled. "And we all know they won't do what they're supposed to if their lives depended on it."

* * *

"You really should have just dried yourself." Katy frowned at Sirius one morning a few days later. He had woken up claiming to have a cold and proved it to be true by using up an entire box of tissues in a surprisingly short amount of time.

"Thanks for the tip." He said and then sneezed loudly.

"Well, I don't know to deal with sick people, so I'll be right back."

"Don't get Lily!" Sirius shouted.

"Why not?"

"Cause she'll do that thing she does with the whole 'I told you so' and 'you shouldn't have gone outside in the rain' and make me feel guilty and I don't want to feel guilty because I'm sick." Katy just laughed and went to get Lily. She Fire-Called her and Lily grinned and came over after going to grab a few things in bottles.

"So how's old Snuffles doing?" She asked brightly when she stepped out of the fireplace.

"Hey!" Came a shout from the bedroom.

"What was that?" Katy asked when they came in.

"My name is _not_ Snuffles." Sirius said but he then had to blow his nose and sniff loudly.

"It isn't?" Lily grinned. "Right, so drink this." She held up one of the various things she had brought with her. "And then we leave magic alone and you get to be treated like a Muggle."

"Excuse me? I know you can make this go away right now and yet you insist on making me suffer?"

"Yeah, something like that." Lily laughed. "It's not that bad. You get to sit in bed and watch TV and drink soup."

"Oh." Sirius brightened. "That's fine then."

"Here," Lily handed Katy a recipe for soup. "You can either make it yourself or just go out and buy it. See you later, Snuffles." She waved Sirius goodbye and Flooed back home.

"You had better not be a pain through all this." Katy frowned at him. "You don't get to be sick for more than a few days, got it?"

"No, no, no, I get to be as much of a pain as I want now. It's my turn. You've gotten to be hormonal and pregnant and need strange things and now it's my turn."

"Sirius Black you are foul." Katy glared at him. "I'll do something weird to your food if you're mean to me and then you'll either have to get better or make your own soup." She grinned triumphantly at him. "So now what do you want to do?"

"I want you to come back over here and watch TV with me." He smiled sweetly and Katy frowned at him.

"No! You're making me sound all mean. You get the chance to be awful and all you want to do is lay in bed with me watching TV?" And for some bizarre reason this made her start to cry. "I've been so awful and made you make me weird things to eat and then made you watch me eat them and I've been getting up in the middle of the night and wanting you up with me and now you're so nice!" She wailed and Sirius sat up, alarmed.

"Calm down, Kate, I can be mean if you want… or you can relax and come and lay down over here." He held out his hand and Katy took it, wiping her face off with her other.

"I'm sorry…" She sniffed and cuddled up next to him.

"Ha! Now you can be Snuffles and not me." He laughed and then sneezed. Katy just raised her eyebrows at him. "Maybe we can both be Snuffles."

"Maybe." Katy giggled and they both lay there all day sleeping most of it away.

* * *

"I think it's going to be a boy." Lily smiled and rubbed a hand on her stomach, she was into her last month of pregnancy and the subject of gender had been discussed much between the two of them. Katy had no idea whether she was going to have a boy or a girl. She felt so sure of one, and then would wake up the next day feeling so sure of the other. She felt cheated somehow, she had always been so sure and here she was, having no idea about the most important thing in her life. The two of them were sitting on the front porch of the Potter's house enjoying the June sunshine.

"I still don't know." She frowned and Lily smiled. "What does James want?"

"Oh, you know. He says he doesn't care, but I know he'd rather have a boy. He wants to be able to teach him all the pranks he came up with at school, and give Hogwarts another wild seven years."

"I think Sirius would like that too, but he is constantly declaring which he wants and it changes at least once a week. It's either a boy who he can convince to prank me along with him or a girl who he can spoil incessantly. I don't know which one would be worse. A spoiled child, or a child who loves to prank me. I'd just have to be a bit strict with him."

"Sirius or your son?" Lily smiled at her and Katy chuckled.

"Sirius, no question."

"No question about me, what?" Sirius and James came walking around the side of the house.

"I'm going to have to be a bit more disciplined with you if we have a son." Katy smiled at her husband and he gave her that innocent smile he had so perfected at school.

"Why would you have to do that, dear heart?"

"Oh, very cute. It didn't work when you tried to get out of trouble at school, why should it work on me?"

"Well somehow I hope you and Professor McGonagall don't think of me in the same way."

"Yes, quite." Katy made a face. "But Lily says she and James will have a boy, so we should too, and then they can be friends."

"You know you don't just get to decide Katy." Lily raised her eyebrows.

"What?" James looked up. "You said you didn't want to know."

"Well technically I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it's a boy."

"Lily! That's wonderful!"

"Don't get too excited, Prongs." Sirius cut in. "You don't know for sure yet."

"It's true, James, it still could be a girl. We'll know for sure when the child is born."

"I'm having a boy! He'll be the next generation of Marauders; I hope you have a boy too! We're having a boy, Lily! We're having a—" But James stopped, clutched his throat and turned to Katy who was laughing with her want pointed at him.

"Sorry, I was just afraid you were going to start singing." She smiled and took the spell off.

"You don't love my singing? I'm hurt." James pretended to be offended, but he wasn't very good at it, and started laughing along with the other three.

Katy grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him towards the front door.

"Where are we going?" He grinned at her.

"We have an appointment with the Healer in 20 minutes. So we've got to head out, Lily," Katy turned addressing Lily, "we'll be back here for dinner around 6:30. And tomorrow you and I are going out, right?"

"You guys are going somewhere?" James clearly had not heard this plan.

"Yeah, they're going to do girly things all day and have dinner and we have to go to fight the evil doers of the world. Is that fair? I think not." Sirius frowned at Katy and Lily. Lily smiled and Katy blew him a kiss and then pulled him into James and Lily's new house. She continued to drag him all the way into their living room and in front of the fireplace.

"Right, so we're going to Floo to the maternity ward." She looked at Sirius who was looking sort of pale. "Maternity wards are not scary, Sirius!" She laughed and shoved him in front of her.

"Yes they are! Everything is all white and there are lots and lots of Healers and assistants and lots of opportunities for them to tell us our baby is not going to be okay!" Katy rolled her eyes and pointed at the bowl of Floo powder. Sirius grabbed a handful, stood in the fireplace, shouted "St. Mungo's Maternity ward!" and dropped his powder. There was a woosh of green flames and he disappeared. Katy quickly grabbed some powder.

"Are you going to ask the gender?" Lily cut in. "I know you could have a couple of months ago, but are you?"

"Haven't decided." Katy shrugged. "I got to go, see you guys later!" And she jumped into the fireplace, shouted "St. Mungo's Maternity ward!" and began revolving quite quickly and then came out into the crisp cleanliness of the maternity ward in the wizarding hospital. Sirius was sitting in a chair looking bored.

"That took a while…" he grinned, reproaching her playfully. "How is that baby of mine in there? Did you two agree with the Floo this time?"

"We're doing fine." Katy smiled, she knew Lily would have hit James if he called their baby his, but she didn't honestly care. She felt like it was her way of sharing the baby's first nine months of existence to let her husband call it his.

After about ten minutes of filling out forms, the nurse called out Katy's name and she and Sirius followed the nurse into a small examining room.

"Your Healer will be in here in a few minutes." The nurse smiled and left the room.

"Do we want to know the gender?" Katy asked Sirius quickly.

"I thought we decided not to." He looked confused.

"Well, not officially, and I'd like to know once Lily has her baby, cause I don't want to spend all my time planning for a boy if I am going to have a girl and vice versa. You know?"

"Yeah," Sirius was thoughtful, "that makes sense. Should we ask today? It's fine with me if you want to. I was actually kind of hoping we'd get to find out."

"Me too, but I didn't want to make Lily and James feel like they had to know also. Since they wanted to wait." Katy smiled. "We should ask. We aren't going to be back here for a month so we might as well ask now. Though we do have three more months."

"Good." Sirius kissed her gently and then pulled back and smiled at her. Just then the healer walked in.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cupit, Mr. Black. How are you today?" The healer greeted both of them, but they knew the "how are you" was just directed at Katy. She grinned at Sirius.

"I'm doing very good, lots of energy, all that kind of thing."

"I'm going to need you to pee for me." Katy heard Sirius chuckle at that, this healer was kind of blunt.

"Sure." She said, trying not to laugh. The healer handed her a cup and pointed toward the bathroom. She went in and heard Sirius ask if the healer knew where Healer Marshall was. Katy thought it was a bit rude, but was wondering the same thing. The new healer said she was at home with her son who had woken up feeling quite sick that day.

"Here you go." Katy held up the little cup of yellow liquid.

"Hmm, to yellow." The healer clicked her tongue. "You need to drink more water."

"I drink about a million times a day!" Katy frowned.

"Any abdominal pains?" The healer completely ignored her.

"No, everything feels fine." Katy said dully. This was clearly not someone who was interested in making friends.

"Good, good," She made some tick marks on her clipboard and then pulled out the wire easel-like thing. "On the bed please." She nodded toward the bed Sirius was now sitting on. He grinned sheepishly at Katy and moved to the chair next to the bed. She tried to get on as lightly as she could, but she had gotten quite a bit less graceful since her pregnancy and had to have Sirius boost her up onto the bed.

"You aren't going to be able to do anything by yourself in about two months are you?" He chuckled.

"Nope!" She said brightly and lay down on the bed.

"Right then," the healer came over. "ready?" Katy nodded and the healer took out her wand. She muttered "E_mbrus revalo"_ and there was a sort of shimmering light that appeared inside the wire easel. She touched her wand to Katy's stomach and an image of the baby inside Katy was projected onto the shimmering light.

"There's the head," the healer pointed with her wand free hand, keeping her wand on Katy's stomach. "and those are the feet, the hands."

"We were wondering the gender." Sirius said expectantly to the healer.

"I thought Marshall said you were going to wait?"

"We changed our minds." Katy said, she hoped this wouldn't make this less than passionate healer upset.

"Alright then, you're having a girl." She said it with the least of amount of feeling she had had the entire time. She clearly didn't care what gender baby was inside Katy. Katy, however, did care. She drew in breath sharply and it seemed to catch in her throat. She was pretty close to hyperventilating and she was laughing which didn't help. The healer fortunately noticed this was an emotional thing for Katy because she told them she would wait in the hall for them to talk for a bit and they should get her when they were ready to finish the exam.

"We're having a girl, Sirius. A girl."

"I know, we're having a beautiful little girl. The Cupits will live on!" He smiled and Katy saw tears forming in his eyes.

"You aren't sad, are you? I know you would have loved to have a son."

"Hey, hey, we're only twenty. We have time to have as many more children as we want. We can have a boy next time."

"Next time!" She smiled at him. "I love you, Sirius Black."

"And I love you, Katy Cupit."

After the appointment, they had to sit in the waiting room for fifteen minutes before flooing back to the Potters. Katy didn't really understand how, but for some reason flooing too soon after an examination could hurt the baby.

"Should we tell them tonight at dinner?" Sirius asked.

"No." Katy said, and smiled. "I want to tell Lily tomorrow when we go out. Either you can tell James tomorrow when you see him, or we can tell him at dinner tomorrow evening."

"Fair enough." Sirius smiled at his wife who grinned back and put her hands across her six month pregnant belly. "Looks like we can go now." He pointed to the clock. The two of them stood up and walked toward to the fireplace. This time, Katy went first. She grabbed the floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

"Number 17, Cherry Street." She felt herself spinning faster and faster and was suddenly deposited on the floor of the Potter's living room.

"Katy!" There was a loud shriek. "You've got to be more careful!" James came rushing over and pulled Katy into a chair, clearing out of the way just as Sirius came shooting out of the fireplace.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." She grinned as James set her down and surveyed her for any life threatening injuries. "I promise." She added because he didn't look like he believed her.

"What happened?" Sirius was brushing dust off his clothes.

"Katy fell when she came out." James said and Sirius turned white and rushed over to them.

"Katy are you okay? Any pain? How's the baby?"

"Honestly, I'm just fine. All I did was trip, I didn't break anything, this child will be just fine." Katy frowned at the two men in front of her who grinned back.

"Alright, then." James shrugged and they walked out of the room.

"Hey!" Katy shouted. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"You said you were just fine." Sirius poked his head round the door and laughed.

"Oh ha, ha, aren't you charming. Now help me up."

"Sirius abandon you?" Lily asked pleasantly as she came into the room. "I get that all the time, no respect for pregnant women these days. At least not around here." She smiled up at James and Sirius who frowned at her.

"Mrs. Cupit, may I offer a hand?" Sirius bowed at Katy and offered his arm. "To where would you like me to escort you, your Highness?"

"The kitchen would be just fine." Katy giggled as Sirius pulled her up and took her into the kitchen. It was set for four, rather like it usually way when they ate at the Potter's. "Smells delicious." Katy grinned and sat down.

"Alright, you boys get to do the dishes, we've got to talk girl stuff." Lily ordered and she and Katy went in the living room amidst protests at being addressed as "boys" from James and Sirius. "So what's the plan for tomorrow?" Lily collapsed on the couch and Katy lowered herself onto the chair next to it.

"I don't know really, I don't feel like Diagon Alley though, I know that." Katy said. "I'd like to go into Muggle London, I haven't been there all that much and you know your way around Muggle things."

"If we do that, you have to promise to be quiet around other people and not talk about how crazy parking meters and stop signs are." Lily snorted.

"Well sorry, but I think the fact that a sign that only says 'stop' can actually make people stop is pretty weird."

"Katy, how many times do I have to tell you, it doesn't force them to stop, they only stop because the law says they must stop at a stop sign."

"Yeah, but what happens if they try to go through it?" Katy asked.

"Nothing, they go through it. If they're unlucky then a police officer comes and gives them a ticket, but they are not physically unable to run a stop sign."

"Run a stop sign?"

"It means go by it without stopping. Honestly…" Lily shook her head in exasperation. "This is why you have to be quiet when we're in Muggle London; people would commit you to an insane asylum if you went round asking what sort of physical reaction is there from running a stop sign."

"Muggles can always use a bit of entertainment, I think." Katy giggled.

"Do you, now?" Lily was laughing too.

* * *

The next morning, Katy was woken up by a crash, she sat up as quickly as she could, although it wasn't very quickly to find Sirius attempting to make it seem like he hadn't just knocked over his bedside table.

"Sirius, what are you doing?" Katy folded her arms and frowned at him. "I was trying to sleep."

"Well, I thought you could use a bit of an exciting wake-up call, love. Besides, aren't you meeting Lily around 11:30?" Katy nodded. "Well it's just after ten and I know how you like a good hour to get yourself ready."

"Well thanks, I'm so glad I have a thoughtful husband." Katy smiled and leaned across the bed to kiss him. "What are you doing today?"

"Fighting crime." Sirius said in a very blasé manner. Katy giggled.

"I'm married to a superhero!" She grinned up at him. "Now use your superpowers to help me off this bed."

One hour and twenty minutes later, Katy was ready to go. She was meeting Lily at the Leaky Cauldron, although she avoided the place if she could, it still brought back memories of the summer she and James had been separated from their families for a month, however no one else understood that, the Leaky Cauldron was the place where they were found, but she still didn't like to go there. They had agreed to meet there and then venture out into Muggle London for the day.

"The Leaky Cauldron, London." Katy said, stepping into the fireplace. She began the familiar spinning but this time managed to come out on her two feet. Lily was already there, sitting patiently at a table and got up to greet Katy when she arrived.

"Morning." Lily said brightly and Katy smiled back. "So where are we going?"

"I thought you knew your way around Muggle London." Katy frowned.

"No, I just know my way around Muggles." Lily grinned and the two of them walked out of the pub. Katy thought she might have seen a Muggle look suspiciously at her and Lily as two rather pregnant women appearing out of nowhere might be a bit disconcerting, but on second glance, she thought she must have imagined it because the man didn't have much of an expression at all.

"So do we want food first, or shall we walk around?" Katy asked.

"Food, definitely. I figured you wouldn't get up in time to eat anything so I didn't eat so that we would both be hungry."

"You know me well. Where's good around here?" Katy asked, looking around.

"No idea…" Lily shrugged. "I don't come to this part of London, and when I do it's always just to come to Diagon Alley so I don't stay here."

"That place looks promising." Katy pointed at random to a nice little café on the corner of the street just up the block.

"Katy, we don't know anything about it."

"Yes but it's cute." Katy smiled and she and Lily began walking up the street. At the little café, there was a sign that read "please seat yourself" so they did. They took a table with a nice view of the passing street and waited for someone to turn up with a menu.

"So, how was everything yesterday?" Lily asked. "At your appointment."

"Good, good." Katy felt the little girl inside her kick and put her hand to her stomach. She opened her mouth to talk but shut it again quickly.

"What…" Lily frowned, obviously confused as to why Katy was about fifty different shades of red just then.

"It's a girl." Katy said very, very quickly without looking at Lily.

"Katy!" Lily shrieked. "That's perfect, you'd be lost on a boy, sorry, but you would." Lily grinned.

"Think so?" Katy asked, glancing up at Lily who was beaming at her.

"Absolutely, if you want to have more you should have a little army of girls, Sirius can deal." Lily laughed. "Oh Katy, that's wonderful."

"A little army? They'd probably gang up on Sirius and I."

"Nah, they'd get you on their side, it'd be girls against boy." Lily grinned. "Oh I would love to see that."

"I'd rather watch than be in it, so you can be my replacement. I'll hold off James, who would, no doubt, try to rescue Sirius."

"And we can't have that. That would almost make it fair!" Lily said with fake horror.

"I don't know, I think the girls would win. Sirius is all ready to spoil this girl rotten. I've got a feeling this is Daddy's Little Girl in here and he won't likely let her lose at anything, even fighting him." Katy grinned.

"Wonderful, it will be amusing watching Sirius lose at everything against a baby. How old will she be when he starts picking fights just so she can come out the winner, do you think?" Lily laughed.

"Probably a few hours and he'll say something and declare she has successfully contradicted it and then that she is a genius."

"And rightly so, I'm sure." Lily smiled.

"Be careful, that sounded almost like sarcasm, Lily." Katy put on an extremely offended demeanor which didn't convince Lily at all.

"And what's wrong with that?" She smiled.

"Well if you're sarcastic about my daughter being a genius then we have a problem." Katy giggled.

"Oh I see." Lily raised her eyebrows.

* * *

"Wake up!" Katy was abruptly pulled from sleep one night in the end of June. Sirius was already sitting up next to her and she could vaguely make out two shapes in the room. One leaning against the wall and one moving very quickly.

"You had better be in early labor or something." She heard Sirius say and was suddenly more alert.

"No, but I'm starving!" Came Lily's reply. She was the quickly moving shape. "Come on, get up, we're having food!"

"Lily, go away, it's two in the morning." Sirius groaned.

"No! I'm hungry! I _need_ to eat."

"Yes, but _I_ don't." Sirius turned back over in bed. Lily sighed and hurried around to Katy's side of the bed and ripped off her blankets.

"Oi!" Katy shouted and sat up, shivering slightly at the sudden lack of warmth. "I don't want food."

"Yes you do."

"Lily, you're insane. Go back to bed. Go home. Get out of my house." Katy frowned at her. "James, take your wife home or at least shut her up."

"Trust me, I've tried." James yawned. "We've been up for hours. She's already eaten enough to feed a small country." He yawned again. "For a few years."

"Lily, you'll make yourself sick." Katy said. "Sit down, slow down and calm down."

"No, I need to get some food!" Lily clutched her stomach. "I'm starving."

"How are you starving? Apparently you've been eating for hours."

"She'll decide to leave in a bit, I think. We've already been to see Remus and Aimy." James said and slid down so he was sitting on the floor. Katy noticed then that he was in his pajamas and bath robe. Lily alone seemed to be awake and ready for the night. And for food.

"What are you talking about, James? We're going to have a party!"

"Not in my house, we aren't." Katy said. "James, I love you and I love Lily but get out of here or I'm going to put a Full Body-Bind on your wife so I can get some sleep. And I'm sure I read somewhere that you are not supposed to put a Full Body-Bind on a pregnant woman."

"Don't curse me, just feed me, please!" Lily said loudly and Sirius groaned from where he was lying.

"Help yourself to anything you want to eat." He said without opening his eyes. "Eat it all, just let us sleep!"

"That was not smart, Padfoot." James sighed.

"I can eat it all?" Lily said excitedly.

"Sure, but if you try to fit it all in your stomach you'll kill yourself so I wouldn't advise it." Sirius said. "Now please let us sleep." Lily bounded happily out of the room but it took James a long time to stand up and shuffle out.

"Sirius?" Katy asked a few minutes later. She could hear Lily rummaging around in the refrigerator.

"Hmm?" Came the reply.

"I'm not tired anymore."

"Don't tell me you're starving."

"I'm not. Just not tired anymore."

"Me neither." He sighed. "Way to go Lily."

"Alright, what's cooking?" Katy asked when she and Sirius stumbled out groggily.

"She infect you too?" James asked.

"Too?" Sirius frowned.

"Yeah, Aimy could not sleep after Lily came." He laughed.

"You're married to a maniac, you know that?" Sirius asked.

"I'm married to a maniac?" James asked, looking pointedly at Katy.

"Hey!"

"Well sorry, but I don't think you'll find anyone in the entire world who thinks you are saner than Lily."

"You may actually have a point." Sirius said with a grin.

"Aren't you supposed to side with me? You are my husband aren't you?"

"Yes, I believe I am." Sirius shrugged casually.

"Good, then think I'm sane."

"That's asking a bit much of me, isn't it?"

"Oh ha, ha." Katy scowled and then started giggling. "What are you trying to make Lily?"

"Spaghetti." Lily said quickly and without looking up.

"Then why did you get out…" Katy looked in confusion at the ingredients Lily had gotten for assembly. "Mustard, chocolate chips, an apple and a glass of milk?"

"I'm making a sauce." Lily said brightly.

"You're making a mustard, chocolate, apple milk sauce?" Katy asked.

"Yes, I was going to put in a pickle, but then I decided that wouldn't taste very nice."

"A pickle…" Katy wanted a pickle then. Katy needed a pickle. "Can you give me the pickle jar?" Lily nodded and handed it to her. She took it to the table and opened it and began eating pickles one after another.

"Katy, what are you doing? You don't like pickles, remember? You told me they were gross when I bought them."

"No, I love them. These are delicious. I love pickles." Katy smiled and she happily bit into her fourth pickle. Sirius gave her one alarmed look and then took the pickle jar away from her. "Hey! Give that back."

"No, you've already eaten four of them." Sirius swung the jar out of her reach when she reached for it. "You can have some of Lily's crap sauce."

"Hey! It's not crap." Lily frowned at him. She was pouring mustard out onto a plate of chocolate chips and had a diced up apple next to the plate that looked ready to be added to the concoction. There was a pot with warming milk on the stove.

"Lily, I am sorry to inform you of this, but that _is_ crap. That is disgusting. Apples, mustard, chocolate and milk? Chocolate and mustard should never be involved in the same food, Lily." Sirius said to her. Katy tried to take advantage of his momentary distraction but he held the pickle jar up above her head, far out of her reach.

"Don't contradict her." James said quickly. "It's never a good idea."

"This is not crap, Sirius Black!" Lily glared at him. "I'm starving. And this looks delicious but you can't have any because you are mean about it."

"Oh gosh, how will I survive?" Sirius snorted and then burst out laughing. "I can't believe we're all sitting here in the middle of the night watching Lily make the world's most disgusting spaghetti sauce." He shook his head. "And Katy, you do not need any more pickles."

"I do! I do!" She said loudly. "What do I have to do to get that jar from you."

"Promise you won't eat them." Sirius smirked and Katy glared at him.

"You're not my friend anymore." She said and turned away from him.

"Perhaps not, but I am your husband."

"Just give her the pickles, Padfoot." James said.

"Yes, listen to your friend. Take his advice. He's smart right?"

"On occasion." Sirius laughed and handed the pickles back. "But you better leave at least two for me."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Katy grinned and went back to consuming a food she didn't even like at an alarming rate.

The next morning Katy did not feel good.

"It's your own fault." Sirius said. "I told you not to eat them."

"You didn't have to give them back."

"You told me to!"

"Yeah and since when is it a good idea to listen to a hormonal pregnant woman having weird cravings at two in the morning?" Katy frowned. She was sitting on the floor of the bathroom and had thrown up once that morning.

"Alright, alright, next time I won't give them back. But you know you ate all of them. You were supposed to leave two for me."

"Yeah and since when do you expect a hormonal pregnant woman having weird cravings at two in the morning to care about that?"

"Fair point." Sirius shrugged. "Feeling any better?"

"Bit." Katy sighed. "I don't like cravings. Next time you can have the cravings." She giggled.

"Great idea and I'll give birth to the second one also."

"Would you? How sweet." Katy beamed up at him. "Now help me out of here."

* * *

"Sirius, just what do you think that is?"

"A bike, you told me to get a bike so I did."

"I didn't mean that. And that is not a bike. That is a large amount of lethal metal that Muggles get killed riding on." She frowned at him. "What exactly did they tell you this was?"

"A motorbike." Sirius said proudly. "The other kind seemed sort of wimpy after this one."

"Well, you are not allowed to ride this thing. You'll get murdered by crazy Muggles in cars!"

"What?" Sirius frowned at her. "I'm not allowed to ride it?"

"No, you may not ride this thing in any street. Ever." She glared at the bike.

"You are no fun at all." He scowled and she went back inside.

Katy should never have told him to get a bike. It had mostly been because the guard at the front door had been asking them where they went all day because he would hear them talking about places that weren't very near but he never saw them in a car so Katy told Sirius to go out and buy a bike that they both could ride or to buy two bikes or something similar so that it was at least plausible that they could go to some of the places they talked about.


	64. Chapter 63

_hey hey... so because i have done soooo much on the epilogue and it is fast approaching the length of the rest of the story ) i want your opinion on something... should i trim it down to a more reasonable amount or make it more and write the sequel?? i may do the swéquel thing anyway and still have a small epilogue but what do you all think??_

Chapter 63  
_Lily_

Part of Lily had been sad when Katy announced that she was having a girl. Lily had secretly been hoping that Katy would wait until the child was born, like she was. And Lily was fairly sure she was having a boy and she had hoped their two children would be the same gender, that way they could grow up together as best friends.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here?" She heard Sirius ask in a very surprised sort of way. She quickly left the kitchen and hurried into her living room where Katy and James were sitting on the couch. Katy was sitting cross legged and James had put his feet in her lap, well, what was left of it. At first she didn't see anything too weird about this until she realized that James was quietly reading a book and Katy was painting his toenails bright red.

"Hello." Katy said brightly, looking up at her and Sirius for a minute before turning back to her work. Lily shrugged, maybe a boy and a girl could still grow up best friends, all she had to do was look at the pair of people in front of her. Lily wasn't sure anyone else could have gotten James to agree to that, but then, there was also the possibility he _hadn't_ agreed and wasn't actually aware it was happening. And again, Katy was likely the only person in the entire world would be willing to take the reaction of secretly painting James' feet.

"Prongs…" Sirius said, going over and fixing James with a very concerned look. "Why are your feet red?"

"Just his toes, actually." Katy grinned.

"Alright, why are your toes red?"

"Katy wanted to see what the color would look like." James said. "But she said it's very hard to paint her own toe nails and she didn't want to unless she knew she liked how the color looked so she tried it out on me."

"Okay…" Sirius frowned. "And you're feeling just fine? No weird headaches, no strange, unexplainable pain? You didn't drink anything funny?"

"No, I'm fine Padfoot. I'm going to get rid of it as soon as she's satisfied." James shrugged. Lily burst out laughing after watching this exchange. "Morning, love." James smiled at her.

"Morning," She giggled. "Maybe you should leave it. The color really suits you." She grinned at him.

"I told her there was no way she could get any color other than red on there even though I'm getting rid of it."

"I take it you vetoed that one?" Lily pointed to a light green bottle on the table next to the couch.

"She wanted to put green on me. I do not wear Slytherin colors."

"Grow up, James." Katy frowned at him and then giggled. "We've been out of school for years. You aren't going to hate all green for the rest of your life are you?"

"I sure hope not, his wife has green eyes." Sirius said.

"Lily's eyes are a particular exception, thank you very much." James said in a voice that clearly showed he was trying to keep his dignity.

"Well that's such a comfort." Lily giggled.

"So what are you two doing today?" Katy asked after she put the cap on the nail polish and then thoroughly startled James by blowing vigorously on his toes.

"We have an appointment at St. Mungo's, only two more weeks." Lily said and put her hand on her stomach, smiling happily to herself.

"Do you know what I heard a few days ago?" James asked. "You know Frank and Alice Longbottom? Well I heard that Alice is due on the same day as you are."

"August 2nd?" Lily asked.

"Yup, Frank told me after the meeting this week. He said the asked and they're having a boy." James pulled his feet off Katy's legs and sat up in a more normal way on the couch. "His mother's apparently pleased to pieces she's getting a grandson."

"I imagine so." Lily nodded. "I only met her once and she seemed a bit intimidating. Absolutely adores her son though, I get the feeling from Alice that Frank's mother doesn't think she's is good enough for her son." She sighed. "But Alice says she's nice enough so it's alright, though I know she's a bit worried that she's going to decide to move in with them or next door so that she can always help with the baby."

"Well, I can guarantee you that my mum won't try that." Sirius said to Katy.

"Oh darn, I was so hoping for her help and advice on how to raise a child." Katy giggled. "I'd either get a Death Eater or a mini you."

"Hey!" Sirius grinned. "I turned out alright, I think. But no thanks to her, that's for sure."

"No, no, lots of thanks to her. You only turned out how you did because of her." Katy grinned back and Sirius frowned at her.

"Right, well, as delightfully interesting as the topic of how much Sirius' mum affected who he is, you two need to clear out. James, you really must get dressed, our appointment is in an hour and we should eat something before we go."

"Wait to chuck us out the door, Lily." Sirius said and sniffed in a mock-angry way.

"Thank you. Now get of here, Snuffles." Lily had continued to call Sirius 'Snuffles' whenever he sneezed he sniffed or did anything remotely related to the name.

"Fine then, see you later, Jezebel." Sirius had mostly stopped calling her that, but had started again when she began referring to him as Snuffles. "Have fun at St. Mungo's, Prongs." Sirius smirked and pulled Katy out of the house. She returned in a few seconds though.

"I thought you were leaving." James frowned.

"Left my nail polish." She grinned and scooped up about five different colors. "Thanks for letting me paint your toes, it was fun." She giggled and waved goodbye to them before disappearing out the front door.

"So what do they do at this appointment? Seems like all they've been doing is telling us the baby is alright and asking if we are sure that we don't want to know the gender. Anything new going to happen this time?"

"No, James, but don't you think it's important to know that our child is alive and well in there?" She rubbed her stomach and James stood up and walked over to her.

"Of course it does," He put his on hand on top of hers on her stomach. "But I think it's a bit excessive to need to be told it as many times as we are. Besides, I'm tired of those damn pictures; I want to see this kid for real." He kissed her. "Now I'm going to go make myself presentable." And with that, he disappeared up the stairs.

* * *

That night, she and James were having dinner with Katy and Sirius. They Appirated to the front walk and went inside because they had lately been mystifying the guard by their constant presence and yet they never came in the front door.

"Lily," Katy said as soon as they came in. "Lily, do you think it is normal for a grown man to go pink happy?" She asked with a giggle. Lily looked at Sirius with raised eyebrows.

"First of all, I see no pink, and second of all, are we really calling Sirius Black a grown man?"

"Good point, well anyway, I went out shopping today and when I came back, the baby's room looked like this." She pulled Lily into the room that Lily and James used to share. It was completely baby pink and had a pink crib in it and a pink changing table and the curtains were pink and there was a little bureau that was also pink and the door was pink and there was a pink carpet on the floor. "Bit intimidating, isn't it?" Katy laughed.

"Wow…" Lily blinked, it was all so bright. "That's… and you're telling me _Sirius_ did this all by himself?"

"Yeah, I was really surprised too." Katy shook her head. "Oh well, I suppose I'll just sneak in here tonight and soften the color a bit." She giggled. "He'll never know."

"I will to." Said a voice from the door. "Don't you dare, Katy." He put on a monstrously overdone frown.

"But, Sirius, it's just so… so… I don't know, but it's maybe a bit much."

"I like it." James said with a smirk from the door.

"Thank you, Prongs." Sirius said triumphantly.

"All I want is it to be a bit less… bright?" Katy wasn't sure what word would be accepted by Sirius.

"Maybe." He frowned again.

Apparently Katy got used to the color because Lily didn't notice any change in it the many times she was there in the next week and a half.

* * *

"Lily, guess what!" Katy came running in the front door. "Alice had her baby last night."

"Did she? What's his name?" Lily grinned and Katy sat down quickly on the couch next to her. "Neville, Neville Longbottom. Sirius and I saw them at the hospital just as they were checking in because we had an appointment. And then we were going to stay but they said we should go and Frank said they would send us an owl when Alice had the baby and he sent us one just ten minutes ago. Neville Longbottom was born at about nine o'clock last night."

"Nine o'clock? What time was your appointment?" Lily frowned. She didn't know that St. Mungo's did appointments that late.

"6:30, but she was in labor for a few hours." Katy grinned and Lily felt her baby kick her but it was different, it didn't really feel like a kick. She put her hand on her stomach. "So you're due in three days, right?" Lily nodded. "Wow…"

"You only have two more months." Lily said.

"I know, but you're getting that kid right now. I want my baby girl." Katy giggled.

"No you don't, you want her to wait two more months."

"I suppose so." Katy sighed. "Oh I want to see her. You get yours any day now."

"Katy," Lily said after they finished eating lunch. James was gone all day with Sirius, Remus and Peter so it was just the two of them. She and James were going to celebrate their one year wedding anniversary that night. "Katy, I think we should go to St. Mungo's." She put a hand on her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Katy immediately turned white.

"Well, my stomach has been twinging all day." She said slowly.

"Are you okay, though?"

"Well, I think they might be contraction." She kept her voice steady but it was hard as she could hardly contain the rush of excitement she was feeling.

"Lily!" Katy shrieked. "Oh, Lily, go and sit down, I'll get the bag thing and I'll go and get James, I think Sirius said they were going to be at Remus'. Oh, Lily!" She smiled and stuffed Lily onto the couch in the living room and Lily heard her bustling around upstairs and she returned with the baby bag that had been packed in the bedroom for a few weeks. She dumped it on the floor. "I'll be right back, I promise!" And it was true, less than a minute later Katy, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Aimy were all in her living room.

"Lily, how are you feeling?" James asked, rushing over and kissing her. "Does it hurt? How close together are they?"

Before Lily had a chance to answer, James had steered her towards the fireplace and pulled her in with him and Flooed away. Right behind them Katy, Sirius, Peter, Remus and Aimy all tumbled out into the reception area of St. Mungo's maternity ward.

Three hours and several painful pushes later, Lily was lying in the hospital bed cradling her son, Harry James Potter, in her arms. James was sitting on the bed next to her and his eyes kept darting back and forth between Lily and Harry as if he wasn't sure which one of them to concentrate on. Very soon the other five people in the hospital who were anxious to see Harry came piling into the room going on about how precious he was and what a sweet name and how he looked like a mini James and then all their comments on how lovely it was that Harry got Lily's eyes after he woke up and showed them off.

"Happy wedding anniversary." Lily smiled to James and handed him Harry.

"I don't think many people get their son as a present." Lily heard Sirius whisper to Katy and Katy started laughing.

"Then no one else is as lucky as me." James frowned at Sirius.

"Perhaps not." Sirius shrugged. "Lily is though; she gets a child for her present as well. Although perhaps you can still give her the present she was going to get anyway."

"Yes, I think I should still get that one." Lily laughed and James beamed at her.

"Well, I didn't bring it actually, it's still at their house." He nodded towards Remus and Aimy. Lily was a bit confused by what she saw when she looked at the two of them. Remus was looking at Harry but it was obvious that it was very purposeful placing of his attention. Aimy however was attempting to get Remus' attention. She seemed desperate to communicate something to him and Lily got the strong feeling it had to do with a baby but Remus wasn't paying any attention.

"How long do you have to stay in the hospital, Lily?" Remus had noticed her staring at him and struck up a conversation.

"A few days I think, just to make sure I don't bleed to death." She added cheerfully and James shot her a scared look. "That was joke, dear." She laughed. "But it's part of what they check for, they make sure I stop bleeding and my heart is normal and they check up on everything for Harry to make sure he's okay." She smiled fondly at her son.

"Of course he's okay." James said briskly. "I think we should take him home today."

"Not so fast, Mr. Potter." The heater had come in and was frowning at James. She swooped in and took Harry quickly out of his hands.

_Katy's POV_

"I want one." Katy said to Sirius that night.

"Well, good, you're getting one." He frowned at her. "This really shouldn't be a surprise to you."

"I know, but I want to meet her now."

"We've been through this before, you actually want her to wait her turn and be patient. Although I must say I am quite anxious to see her myself." Sirius smiled.

"I suppose." Katy shrugged. "I want my baby." She wrapped her hands around her stomach. "Besides, I am so tired of this, I want to get a good night's sleep again."

"Well that won't happen by giving birth."

"But at least I'll be able to get comfortable."

"He was cute wasn't he?"

"Adorable." Katy grinned. "But our baby will be cuter."

"Infinitely." Sirius kissed her head and Katy fell asleep to dreams about what the baby girl inside her might look like.

* * *

"Kate, come quick!" Sirius came into the bedroom one morning when Katy was still sleeping. "Wake up, Katy."

"What do you want?" She frowned at him.

"I've fixed it!"

"Fixed what?"

"My bike."

"Your bike?" She had forgotten about that awful bike he had brought home.

"Yes and now it fits your conditions." He pulled her out of bed and Appirated them both the backyard of Remus and Aimy's house where Katy stood there shivering. She was still in her nightdress and while it was summer, her pajamas were still not meant for anywhere but covered in blankets.

"Why are we here?"

"Look!" Sirius said, pointing at the bike.

"It doesn't look any different to me." Katy frowned and rubbed her eyes but the bike remained looking completely identical to the day it had been bought.

"Yes, but looks aren't everything." Sirius said and went and sat down on the bike's seat. "Want to ride?"

"Do I look insane to you?"

"A bit, yes."

"Thanks, darling." She frowned at him and he smiled angelically back at her. "So how does this fit my conditions? I told you not to ride it."

"You said I couldn't ride it on any streets because I would get murdered by Muggles."

"I know." Katy was confused and a bit grumpy. Sirius beamed at her and engaged the engine. The bike roared to life and shot straight up in the air. "No." Katy frowned at him. "No, you do not get to fly around. People might just notice a flying motorbike."

"I'll only use it at night." Sirius said defensively.

"You had better only use at night." She frowned. "Now can I please go back to bed? And you are coming too. If I leave you here with this thing I just know you and Remus will go off on a trial run." She grabbed him and Appirated them both home before he could complain.

_please please review!!_

_Lily_


	65. Chapter 64

_well, i have to say, i am a bit disappointed at the lack of people reviewing but oh well, c'est la vie. however, a humongo thank you to Tor! for reviewing and for suggesting the epilogue sequel thing. a very good idea and i will probably follow through with it!_

Chapter 64  
_Katy_

"Ever since my mum died, I've wanted to call my daughter Anne, after her." Katy said slowly one morning at the breakfast table to Sirius. He had just come into the kitchen to find her already drinking a cup of tea. She looked up hopefully at him. He smiled and came over and kissed her.

"Will I be allowed to call her Annie?"

"I'd say you can call her whatever you want, but knowing you that would inflict something terrible on this poor child."

"So I can't call her Annie?"

"Of course you can call her Annie, Sirius." Katy smiled at him and stood up, flinging her arms around Sirius and promptly losing her balance as she fell against him.

"Don't you ever almost fall again." He propped her back up and she blushed. "You'll make that baby girl in there make an early appearance and as excited as I am to see her, I can wait until the end of September."

"They'll be in different Hogwarts years." Katy frowned.

"What? No they won't, Harry's only just been born. They'll only be two months apart." Sirius sat down. "September 1st. I forgot that's the cut-off." He sighed. "Oh well, they'll have ten years together."

Sirius stood up again and walked over to the cupboard. "Well, I'm ready for breakfast. What does Annie want to eat?"

By the end of the week, Katy and Sirius had both gotten into the habit of saying Annie in reference to their baby. James and Lily both thought it was funny they had already decided on their child's name when she wasn't due for another six weeks. Katy had also come home one day to find that Sirius had added the word "Annie" to the wall of her bedroom in large block letters.

* * *

"You know, I feel like our lives have stopped." Katy remarked to Lily one afternoon. She and Lily were at the Potter's house and James and Sirius were gone doing something for the Order.

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, beaming fondly at Harry. "I think my life has just gotten better than it ever could have hoped to be before Harry was born."

"I know that, but I mean, we used to always be out doing things, fighting Death Eaters, and now look at us." She smiled. "You've got a new baby to worry about, I'm due in two months and so not the agile person I once was," Lily snorted. "And even if I was, Sirius is so worried about Annie he won't hardly let me leave the house without an armed escort."

"That's such a cute name." Lily looked up from Harry and smiled at Katy. "Annie Black. No, Annie Cupit. I like it."

"Do you know I think I've found the only husband who wouldn't care that his family name will die out if we don't have a son? He hates his family, I'm sure he'd be tremendously pleased if the House of Black ceased to exist."

"Doesn't he have a brother?" Lily frowned in thought.

"Regulus, but he's dead." Lily looked up in shock. "Apparently he had a bit of good in him too, he was a Death Eater, but he tried to back out and got killed for it."

"Wow… when did that happen?"

"I don't know. I just mentioned something about him to Sirius the other day and he told me had died 'a while back' as Sirius put it. But I don't know quite what that means."

"Sirius didn't even tell you?" Lily looked like she didn't quite believe that.

"Nope, I don't think he barely even registered it with himself."

"Here," Lily stood up and handed Harry to Katy. "I have to say, if Harry has one flaw, it is that he makes it hard for me to relieve myself." Lily giggled and left the living room.

"Hello Harry." Katy smiled at the tiny person in her arms. He was asleep and didn't notice her, he didn't even turn at the sound of her voice, but at two weeks, he wasn't expected to be all that observant. After a few minutes, Katy heard a small laugh and looked up to see that Lily had returned. "What's so funny?"

"You are, trying to figure out how to hold Harry with that stomach of yours." She grinned. "You're almost propping him up with it."

"Well fine, you can have the stomach for now and I get Harry." Katy smiled.

"I'll take the baby, thanks." Lily reached down and gently pulled Harry back to herself. She was humming to herself and stroking the little tuft of jet black hair on Harry's head.

For all that Katy may have said her new life was boring, and that it felt like it had stopped, she greatly enjoyed spending quiet afternoons with Lily and Harry. It was inevitable that all three of them would fall asleep at some point or other and they were usually asleep when James and Sirius got back.

"Wake up!" Katy was brought back to consciousness by James' voice. "All you do is sleep around here." He grinned and kissed Lily quickly before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tiny book. "Look what we found in your closet." He said, holding up the book.

"What were you doing in my closet?" Katy said, both suspicious and exhausted.

"Sirius was there too." James said defensively and made the little book large, what Katy assumed to be its original size.

"How is it that thing always finds its way into _my_ stuff?" Katy asked, rubbing her eyes. "How come Remus doesn't have it?" Katy grinned and took the photo album out of James hands. "Has it got any pictures of Harry in it?"

"A few, but mostly from the day he was born." Sirius called from the kitchen. He reappeared in a few seconds and came to sit down next to Katy. "Let's take a look, shall we?" He opened the book. "Merlin, it's been years since I've looked at this."

Well aren't you charming James. 

**Aww, I thought it was cute!**

_You find pleasure in my pain? Thanks…_

Katy grinned, looking at the picture of Baby James throwing his food at Baby Katy and the comments she, Mary and Aimy had left on it.

"That was a truly epic prank." Sirius smiled fondly at the picture of him and James covered in purple dye from second year.

"An epic failure, more like." Katy snorted.

"Oh I don't know, it was amusing." Lily chuckled quietly.

"Of course it was; it involved Sirius and me." James grinned and sat down next to Lily and smiled fondly at Harry. "How are you, little boy?" He asked, leaning towards Harry and kissing him on the forehead. "You three have a nice day?" James asked after standing back up.

"We had a normal day." Katy shrugged.

"So you didn't do anything." James laughed.

"We said nasty things about you." Katy grinned and James stopped laughing.

"What are you doing, James?" Katy asked. It was the thirtieth of August and James was decorating the house with streamers and such.

"We're having a party for Harry. It's his one month birthday."

"And you haven't invited us?" Sirius frowned. "Well we won't be getting him a present then."

"It's not a party, James. He just wants to decorate and have an excuse to buy lots of things for Harry that he neither needs nor wants." Lily sighed.

Sirius still thought a one month birthday party was a bit weird and Katy fell asleep to the sound of him laughing quietly to himself about it.

* * *

Katy woke up abruptly. She didn't know why, but she had a very bad feeling about that day. She glanced at the clock by the bed, it was 4:48 in the morning, Katy put a hand to her stomach, rubbing it, Annie kicked her just then and for the first time, the kick hurt. She had always liked the feeling, it told her Annie was there, it felt like a greeting from her baby, but it hurt that time. She let out a small grunt of pain and immediately Sirius was sitting up.

"What happened?" He looked around. Katy had no idea how he had heard her and she felt sad at how lightly he was sleeping and how worried he was.

"Nothing, Annie kicked and it hurt."

"It's never hurt before. Are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes, Annie's fine. I just woke up… dreading today. I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about today." She and Sirius sat in bed until morning when she reluctantly got up. Katy was scared of her shadow all day. Sirius tried to tell her she must have just had a bad dream that she couldn't remember because nothing bad was happening. He had even owled James and Lily to make sure they were okay, but it still didn't make Katy any less worried.

They were chatting together that evening, just thinking of going to bed when Sirius noticed an owl flying in at them. He opened the kitchen window and the owl came to a halt on one of the chair backs. Sirius detached the scroll from the owl and it flew away.

"It's for you, Kate." He smiled and passed her the letter. It was addressed to Mrs. Katy Cupit and Katy's breath drew in when she saw the seal of St. Mungo's on the letter. She opened the letter and read it.

_Mrs. Cupit,_

_At a quarter to five this morning your sister changed considerably, however this was not a positive change. Lucie seemed terrified of something and she was shaking badly. She wouldn't allow anyone near her and she has shown no change all day._

_We would appreciate it if you could come here to talk with us, and are hopeful that perhaps your presence will help your sister._

_Thank you very much,  
Marianna Foster, Healer_

"Katy, what happened?" Sirius asked and Katy realized she was trembling. She thrust the letter to Sirius who read it and paled. He helped her to her feet and propped her up as he pushed her towards the fireplace. He flooed them both to St. Mungo's and propelled them up to Lucie's ward. They came in and Katy was expecting to see her sister in a terror and was surprised to see her asleep. She gasped at the sight of her; it had been exactly three years to the day since she had last seen her sister. Lucie was abominably pale and thin and her hair looked like it was made of twigs. It had once been sleek and shiny and now it looked like it would break if you tried to bend it. It had lost its curl and hung limply down her face and seemed to have never been cut as it was approaching Katy's length. Katy felt herself pulled to her, and she sat down on the bed next to Lucie. Almost against her will, Katy reached out and touched her sister's hand.

It was like a trigger, the minute she touched Lucie, Lucie's eyes shot open and her hand closed on Katy's with surprising strength.

"Ring…ring…ring…ring…ring…WE ALL FALL DOWN!" Lucie shouted and jumped out of her bed. She was not skipping in happy, senseless circles like last time Katy had seen her. She moved as if she was possessed, in jerky fits of movement that she seemed to have no control over. She seemed to be sliding back and forth between… Katy didn't know what. She told herself it was just wishful thinking but she could swear sometimes Lucie's eyes were full of terror that meant she knew what was happening but then they would switch back to nothingness. "FALL DOWN! FALL DOWN!" And Lucie did. She screamed "fall down" and then crumpled to the floor.

"Mrs. Cupit, you were asked to come here today, because upon looking over records of the very rare times this spell has been cast, we have seen behavior like this from victims shortly before they die and we thought we needed a family member here. She may seem to 'come back' and perhaps she will even recognize you briefly, but I fear her life is rapidly ending." A Healer's voice said from near Katy, but she had eyes only for Lucie who had started writhing in pain on the floor. The Healers all rushed forward, but Katy pushed them out of the way and hurried as fast as she could toward her sister. She knelt on the ground and was surprised to see that Lucie was sweating and panting. Katy sat down on the ground and Lucie crawled into what still existed of Katy's lap. She looked up at Katy and as much as Katy wanted to see it there, there was no recognition in her eyes.

"Ring around the rosy…pockets full or posy…ashes, ashes…we all fall down." Lucie sang, and she almost sounded happy. She had a death grip on Katy's sleeve. The two of them sat like that for twenty minutes before Lucie looked up and Katy's heart leapt at the almost normal look in Lucie's eyes. Lucie gave Katy a look of pure horror and dread and then she started screaming, she stood up, screaming and looking around wildly as if afraid of being attacked.

"She knew…" Katy was horrified. She couldn't imagine living like that, Lucie had known what was going to happen, she knew she was about to feel pain, and be terrified. The look she had given Katy had, although the Healer said it shouldn't, given Katy the hope that Lucie was still under there, she had seen her sister's eyes, her sister knew what was happening to Lucie. Lucie, however, was no longer her sister.

"ASHES, ASHES, ASHES, ASHES, ASHES, ASHES, ASHES, ASHES!" Lucie was revolving in one spot, her eyes wide with fear but it wasn't the type that she had shown Katy. This was Lucie, how she was, not knowing what was happening to her, insane. Katy felt someone kneel beside her and felt Sirius pull her into a hug. Sobs raked at Katy's body and for the first time in three years, tears poured down Katy's face. Sirius must have felt the tears on his shoulders and pulled her back and tears began pouring from his own eyes at the sight of hers.

"Three years." He murmured and she nodded.

"Three years." She whispered and let the tears fall. Tears were still cascading down her face as Lucie stopped spinning and turned to Sirius and Katy.

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" Lucie screeched and everyone was silent. Katy was terrified, she didn't know what to do.

"She's never before… the first time." The Healer was mumbling to herself.

"What?" Sirius asked, turning to her.

"That's the first time she's said anything not from that song the entire time she's been here. In three years." Katy looked wide eyes at Lucie. Lucie was pointing a trembling hand at Katy and Sirius.

"Get out. Go away. Get out of here!" Lucie yelled and Katy was too surprised at a coherent sentence to do anything. "I said get out!" The Healer seemed unsure what to do in this situation. She looked pleadingly at Katy and Sirius and without a word, Katy fled from the room. Sirius caught up with her easily, she could barely run, and caught her in his arms, pressing her close to him as she cried.

Suddenly her stomach tightened for a second, then it relaxed. Katy barely gave it a second thought as she crept back to the door of Lucie's ward, where there were about fifteen Healers crowded around Lucie's bed. Katy watched them for a few minutes but then they all stopped doing whatever it was they were doing and began filing out of the room. Only two stayed and both were writing on clipboards. Katy walked into the room with forced calmness and went up to them.

"Oh, Mrs. Cupit." One of the Healers said quickly turning around and snapping shut the curtains, hiding Lucie.

"What happened to her?" Katy voice was shaking even with all her attempts to keep it calm.

"Mrs. Cupit, I'm afraid that…"

"She's dead." Katy said mostly to herself but she glanced up at the Healer who nodded mutely. Katy had no desire to see Lucie's body and so left the room. She passed Sirius in the doorway but didn't notice him. She walked like she was in a dream down the stairs and on the landing of the third floor her stomach gave another painful twist and she staggered. Sirius caught up with her then, and deaf to her protests, he steered her into the maternity ward and told the reception lady that Katy was having terrible stomach pains and she had just gone through severe emotional trauma.

The reception witch immediately called over a Healer who directed them into an examination room and began performing a series of complicated spells while Sirius explained what had happened.

"We need to transfer her to a delivery room, I'm afraid she has gone into labor. It happens sometimes, if a pregnant woman experiences a lot of unexpected stress." The Healer Transfigured the legs of the bed Katy was on into wheels and rolled Katy into another room down a different hallway. Katy was white with shock. That could not be happening, Annie wasn't due for another month, this was bad. She glanced up at Sirius who was trembling and gripping her hand tightly. She tried to smile but at that moment, her stomach contracted again and she gasped at the pain. The Healer levitated her onto a delivery bed when they reached the delivery room and told her to breathe deeply and try and be as comfortable as possible. She told Sirius to make a little mark with his wand on a certain piece of paper every time Katy had a contraction and when they were only a few minutes apart, to tap the room's door with his wand which would let the Healers know it was time to prepare for the birth. On her way out, the Healer promised to return shortly, saying she would check in on Katy every couple of minutes.

"Can you send a letter to Lily and James?" Katy asked, trying to keep calm. "And Remus, Aimy and Peter also. And what time is it?"

"Ten thirty," Sirius glanced down at his watch. "And yes I can send them letters, but I think Peter is on duty tonight."

"He can't be… Dumbledore didn't mention him at all when we discussed who would be doing what this week."

"He said he had Order things to do today when I talked to him yesterday…" Sirius frowned. "Well, alright, I'll just owl Lily and James and Remus and Aimy."

"Thank you." Katy smiled at him and he conjured two parchments, a quill and an ink bottle and sat down at the little table to quickly write the two letters.

Within twenty minutes of the sending of the two letters, Remus and Aimy were there and just a few minutes later, Lily, James and Harry were in the room too.

"What happened?" Remus asked in alarm. They all knew Annie wasn't supposed to come for another month.

"Lucie's dead…" Katy whispered and there was shock in the room. "They sent me a letter about an hour ago asking if I would come in to see her because she had been acting all weird and she died about a half an hour after we got to her ward. And apparently shock can send me into labor, and it did…" She still didn't really believe what was happening. She assumed she would be waking up any time, this whole day had been a long, complicated dream which she would laugh about with Sirius in the morning.

"Who are all of these people?" The Healer was back and she looked surprised to find four more people and a baby in the room.

"They're my friends who are going to stay here." Katy said, hoping the Healer would understand that they were not to be sent from the room.

"Very well…" The Healer didn't seem super excited about the new arrangements. "But you can only have one person in the delivery room with you."

"My husband." Katy said quickly and the Healer nodded. She was just turning to go when Katy's stomach had another contraction and she inhaled audibly at it. The Healer turned around and after assessing Katy seemed to be just fine; she left, promising to return shortly.

The next two hours were not fun for Katy. Her contractions were getting closer and closer together and she was already feeling tired. It occurred to her that she had been up since five that morning and it was now after midnight. However she was pleased to note that her contractions were getting closer and closer together which must mean that the birth itself was getting sooner and sooner.

_Lily's POV_

At 2:20 in the morning, the Healer asked Lily, James, Remus and Aimy to please go and wait in the lobby and Katy was wheeled away, her face white, although not nearly as white as Sirius' who hadn't let go of Katy's hand for hours.

"Do we really just wait?" James asked, glancing nervously back at the hallway from which they had come.

"We had to wait like this when Harry was born, you were in the delivery room so you didn't have to, but we did. Really, it's not that bad." Aimy said, sitting down in one of the waiting room chairs.

"Did you?" Lily frowned. "Merlin this is aggravating."

"And it's the second time we've done it." Remus said with a playful frown. "It's going to be alright, isn't it? I mean, it's okay even though she's early, right?" he looked hopefully around and there was a long silence.

"Yeah. Yeah… nothing to worry about." Lily said, trying to sound sure of herself and not being at all.

They waited for an hour, the longest hour of her life, it seemed to Lily. Lots and lots of Healers were continuously bustling past and while Lily knew that they probably had nothing to do with Katy, she was terrified they were all coming and going because of some enormous problem that Katy was having with the birth.

"Sirius!" James shouted and Lily was brought out of her thoughts by Sirius appearing in the hallway. "Sirius, is she okay? Did she have the baby?" Sirius' face told all that was needed. The huge grin spreading across his face, he didn't have to answer, but he did.

"She's perfect." He grinned and turned and they all followed him into the room where Katy was laying, propped up in bed with the tiny little girl in her arms.

"She's beautiful, Kate." James kissed Katy's head. "Annie Cupit?" Sirius nodded, the grin on his face getting bigger, if possible.

"No." Katy said, looking up at Sirius. "No, can we call her Lucie?" Sirius looked at his wife and tears were in his eyes.

"That won't just make you sad? It won't be too painful to say her name?" he asked, a crease of worry appearing on his forehead.

"No, it'll make me remember my sister. Please, Sirius, please can we call her Lucie."

"Of course we can." He went and sat on the bed next to her, kissing her and then kissing his daughter. "Lucie Cupit, welcome to the world."

A Healer came in just then and Katy politely, but resolutely, refused to allow her to take Lucie away. The Healer was not at all pleased with that, but Katy wrapped her arm protectively around Lucie and glared heatedly at her, the Healer backed off a bit. Lily noticed that as soon as Katy fell asleep, the Healer quickly took Lucie and had her back before Katy stirred.

* * *

Lily appeared out of nowhere on the front walk of King's Court Apartments. She looked down at the very small boy she had in her arms. He had a funny, almost mad, but mostly confused look on his face. Lily smiled; Harry always looked like that after Appiration. Lily went upstairs without having to call as the guards knew her and let her up whenever she wanted. She got into the living room and found Katy laying on the couch, fast asleep next to the crib holding one week old, Lucie Cupit. Lily decided it would be best not to wake them up; Katy was very firm in keeping with one particular rule about having a new baby. She always took a nap when Lucie did. Her Healer had told her she should sleep whenever her baby did and Katy really took that to heart.

Lily looked up at the clock on the fireplace, it read a quarter to two, that meant that Lucie would likely wake up soon. She usually woke up between 2:30 and 3:00 so any minute she would begin to wake up. Lily sat down in the rocking chair with her feet up on the table so she could prop Harry up on her legs so that he could see her. He was always much more comfortable when he could see her. Lily chuckled a bit to herself as she sat and watched him. He had his lips pursed together, how adults look when they are irritated and his eyes were as wide open as they could be and he was staring and the point where the ceiling met the wall. Lily was stroking his tiny arm when she heard a little coo from the crib. She glanced over and saw Lucie, staring into space, her big blue eyes roaming everywhere, attempting to focus on something. Lily scooted her chair over and adjusted Harry on her lap so that she could fit Lucie and picked up the tiny bundle of pink. Sirius had quite outdone himself preparing for a girl. He stopped buying anything that was not baby pink if it might come into contact with his daughter.

"Look at this, Harry. Your future wife." Lily smiled, thinking of the conversation she heard James and Sirius having the day before. They had been planning on having Lucie and Harry get married. "She is quite a catch, though, love." Lily said to her son. "And how are you, darling?" She asked Lucie, who turned toward the sound, and her eyes finally focused on something, Lily, being only about a foot above her, was in the range Lucie's eyes could deal with. In response to the question, Lucie produced some delightful white spit up. "You're father will not appreciate that," Lily smiled. "You're supposed to keep all your clothing pink." She set Harry down in Lucie's crib and grabbed the cloth hanging over the side of it to wipe Lucie off with.

Harry apparently decided he had shared his mum just long enough, because he started crying. Lily tried to sooth him without waking up Katy, but almost as soon as he had made the first noise, Katy was up and picking him up. She got him out of the crib, seemed really quite startled to discover the baby she was holding did not belong to her and looked down at the crib.

"Lucie?" She said, she sounded really concerned. "Come on, there is no way you know how to climb out of your crib yet. And, Harry what on earth are you doing here? Have you seen my baby?" She smiled at the boy in her arms who was still making angry noises.

"Why yes he has, and here she is." Lily said, and Katy looked up for the first time.

"I'm glad you're here. Otherwise I would be very worried to find your child in my crib." Katy laughed. "I'll trade you; I think this one might be hungry." Katy held out a crying Harry. Lily set Lucie down in the crib again and took her son back from Katy. Katy picked up Lucie and cradled her close to herself.

"Don't you ever try that again, I want you exactly where I left you when I wake up. Or a note. Tell Daddy if he wants to move you when I'm asleep he'd better leave me a note saying he did so." Katy said, rubbing Lucie's stomach.

"I doubt Sirius would remember to do that, Kate" Lily smiled as she began nursing Harry.

_Katy's POV but the scene is just continuing._

Suddenly James came out of the fireplace looking frantic.

"James, what happened?" Lily was on her feet, upsetting Harry greatly.

"Lily, we have to go, I just got an owl from Dumbledore, he said he urgently needs to see us." James was pacing up and down.

"Am I not allowed?" Katy had gotten up, she was staring, terrified, between her two best friends. If Katy didn't come she would spend the rest of the day pacing nervously around the house.

"Can she come, James?" Lily asked, she didn't seem to know any more than Katy about whether or not this was a confidential thing, but surely Dumbledore would realize that Katy would learn about it no matter what.

"No wait, leave Harry with me." Katy said, knowing she would regret it once they'd left, but also knowing it was the most helpful thing to do. "I can take care of him."

"Are you sure?" Lily said as James ran back over to the fireplace. "Thank you so much, Katy." She set Harry back in the crib and followed James to the fireplace and within seconds they had both disappeared to the cry of "Hogwarts Castle, Headmaster's office."

Katy looked sadly at Harry who looked rather displeased at his new arrangements. She finished nursing Lucie and set her down next to Harry. She quickly sent an owl to Sirius telling him something had happened and Dumbledore had told James and Lily he needed to see them urgently. Fifteen minutes later, Sirius Apparated into the living room.

"Katy! What's going on?" Sirius looked as troubled as James did. "Are they back yet? Do you know anything more?"

"No, I've got Lucie and Harry here; I thought it would be easier if they didn't have Harry with them." Katy rushed out of the kitchen and was pulled into a tight hug by Sirius.

"I was afraid something bad would happen to us. We've all been so happy for the past month since Harry was born. And Frank and Alice's son, I can't remember his name." Sirius frowned.

"Neville." Katy smiled. "That's probably why, we're all off having babies and being happy. Perfect time for You-Know-Who to attack us." She added bitterly.

She and Sirius spent the rest of the afternoon with the babies who both were unusually tense. Lucie hardly ever cried during the day and she was fussy all afternoon and Harry seemed scared of everything he saw. At one month Katy thought it was unfair to have a baby be this scared of everything in his life. She wished with all her heart something would hurry up and happen so that You-Know-Who would just disappear. She didn't care what it took, she wanted him gone. She wanted to raise her daughter with Sirius and her best friends to raise their son. She wanted to see them go to Hogwarts with the same feeling she had; complete excitement and no worries. She didn't want them to grow up afraid.

At 6:45 that evening, James and Lily came out of the fireplace. They both seemed a little shaky and were both paler than usual.

"Give me my baby!" Lily cried and took Harry forcibly out of Katy's arms. "Oh, Harry, why my baby?" Lily was shaking and it was scaring Harry even more. He began crying and turning in closer to her like she was the only thing that could save him.

"Lily! Merlin what happened?" Sirius stood up, half jumping and half carefully as Lucie was asleep in his arms.

Lily didn't seem able to say anything. She collapsed on the couch holding Harry to herself so tightly, Katy was afraid she would hurt the boy.

"It's Harry… maybe." James said, almost in wonder. "Apparently there's only one person in the entire world who can defeat You-Know-Who." Katy almost fell out of her chair. Harry was only a month old.

"But… how?" Sirius stammered.

"A prophecy. Foretelling the birth of a boy at the end of July to parents to had defied You-Know-Who three times. But, it said the boy will 'have power the Dark Lord knows not' and that he will be marked as You-Know-Who's equal and that neither can live while the other survives." James said and he sounded like he didn't really believe it. Katy was shocked. Harry didn't have any strange birth marks and he was a nice baby so he didn't seem a likely candidate to be equal to You-Know-Who. And the part that chilled her bones was "neither can live while the other survives." What did that mean?

"It might not be him though." Came Lily's voice in a desperate sounding attempt at hope.

"What?" Katy was completely confused.

"It could be Neville Longbottom. Frank and Alice were there too, you know that Neville was born on July thirtieth. Well, Frank and Alice have 'defied You-Know-Who three times' as well, so it could mean either one of them."

"So, let me see if I understand." Sirius took a deep breath and looked helplessly from Lily to James. "Either Harry Potter or Neville Longbottom, both one month old babies, are going to either defeat You-Know-Who for good or be killed by him?"

"But You-Know-Who doesn't care about killing people. Won't he just try to kill both of them so he doesn't have to worry?" Katy leaned back in her chair, horrified.

"Don't say that, Katy. Don't you dare even think that." Lily was shaking. "My boy is not going to die. He will not be killed."

Katy wanted to curse whoever made that bit of fate happen. She had just that day been wishing for something, anything at all, to get rid of You-Know-Who but what she got wasn't exactly what she had had in mind. It had no way involved the only people who could get rid of You-Know-Who being a few years from even being potty trained much less ready to battle dark wizards.

_So!!!! What do you think of the new Lucie Cupit? I did promise the epelogue and sequel would be about her!! =D_

_~Lily_


	66. Chapter 65

_So no... that was not the end of the story. This was will go until Lucie is five, I already have the end planned and it won't take too long. She's two in like seven chapters and after that it's going to go quicker. _

_So... without further adieu:_

Chapter 65  
_Lily_

"James, what exactly do you think that is?" Lily frowned as she pointed at the assortment of objects in James' hands. "I don't know what you're planning but you aren't putting helmet on my child's head nor are you taking him anywhere he would need a helmet."

"Relax, Lily, this isn't for right now."

"James, I hope you don't think I am so slow as to not be able to notice that helmet can't fit someone much bigger than Harry."

"Ah, but it can." James grinned. "It can fit whoever I want it to fit." He flicked his wand. "But this size was the cheapest." He put his wand away and unloaded everything he was carrying onto the couch.

"So you bought up the sports department of a Muggle store only you bought everything in a baby size because it's cheap?" Lily sighed. "So who is it for?"

"Harry."

"You told me-" Lily began loudly.

"No, no, no," James interrupted her. "Not for right now, but you know, in a year or so when I teach him to fly."

"My son is _not_ flying on a broomstick before he can successfully walk."

"He will know how to walk before he's one year old."

"James don't you dare put him on a broomstick."

"He's going to like me better than you. You won't let him do anything." James frowned at her.

"Yeah, but he'll like me a whole lot better when one of your delightful schemes gets him hurt."

"Ha! You think he won't mind a few scratches."

"The only scratches this boy had better ever get are ones from falling out of trees and other things boys do normally." Lily glared at James who shrunk a bit. "I _will_ know if any of his scrapes have anything to do with magic and I will go straight to you."

"Alright, alright, no magic when he's a baby." Lily raised her eyebrows. "Fine, I won't let him near magic until he's thirty five and somewhat capable of taking care of himself."

"Just somewhat?" Lily laughed.

"Well I wouldn't say I am fully able to take care of myself."

"You're only twenty."

"I know, so hopefully in fifteen years I'll have achieved the ability to take care of myself, right?"

"You better, I do not want to be in charge of you and a fifteen year old boy. I think my head would blow up. Besides, I just know you'd gang up on me."

"What?" James put on a mock appalled look. "Would I ever do that, my dearest, darlingest, loveliest, sweetest wife?"

"Yes you would." Lily grinned and kissed him. "But I'll try to find it in my heart to forgive you." She giggled and was just about to kiss him again when Harry started crying.

"You couldn't have waited just a few more minutes?" James asked Harry as Lily picked him up out of the little crib in the living room. "You can't have her all the time, you know."

* * *

The days passed quickly, she and Katy spent almost every day at each other's houses and Aimy came with them a lot. Both Harry and Lucie had each slept in all the various cribs and sleepers that Lily, James, Sirius and Katy had all bought. Lily didn't quite understand why the wall in Lucie's bedroom still said Annie on it, but Katy seemed to think it was funny and so had left it there.

It was always amusing to take James and Sirius on shopping trips to buy clothes for the babies because Sirius would only buy it if it was pink and James wanted all of Harry's things to be red and gold. However most of the boy clothes were blue and Sirius always got odd looks from people as he enthusiastically filled his shopping basket with little pink dresses and pink pants and shirts and hats and socks and shoes and gloves and everything other thing a little baby does not need but is showered with by adoring family members.

Lily and Katy made the mistake of sending James and Sirius by themselves to do some shopping once and never again allowed them anywhere near a baby clothing store without strict supervision as between the two of them spent more than Katy and Lily had previously spent together.

They all had loads of fun dressing the babies up for Halloween and they met up with Frank and Alice Longbottom who they had started seeing a lot more regularly outside of meetings since they all had their kids. At Christmas Harry managed to keep himself in an upright and sitting position for about fifteen seconds and then he went crashing down and had a large bump on his forehead for a week but James would tell anyone who would listen, which wasn't very many people, especially after a few days, that his son was terribly clever and had sat upright on his own before he was five months old. He was getting better at it by the middle of January but he still couldn't stay upright for long and he still couldn't sit up by himself. Lucie's proudest achievement just then was rolling over; something Harry had already done which miffed Sirius a little. He had to be reminded that most things Harry would do first as he was a month older and in baby time a month was a long time.

Lucie enjoyed being held by her hands and propped up in a standing position and allowed to sort of bounce and tip as fate dictated. Harry clearly wanted to be able to sit up by himself. You only had to put your hands near his and he would clamp on tightly and pull himself upward. A couple of times he overshot and pulled himself up into a standing position which always surprised him a great deal and caused James to run around shouting about how Harry already knew how to stand up.

_Katy's turn_

"Lily, he won't let go of me." Katy called from the living room in early April. Harry could easily stand while holding onto someone but still went crashing down if you let go of him as he was only nine months old. Lily grinned and hurried in. Harry was tightly attached to Katy and Lucie had begun to wail, hence Katy's needing to be free. Lily took hold of one of Harry's arms and he turned to face her. A grin spread across his face and he sort of lunged at her. She had to jump to the ground in a hurry as Harry was heading for the floor face first but she caught him before the carpet did.

"He's strong, isn't he?" Lily smiled at her baby and he began whapping her in the stomach. "Hungry are you?" She kissed him and started nursing.

"So how is it that he has worked out that if he starts hitting you he gets food? That's not very nice, is it?"

"It's just that whapping thing… he starts waving his arms up and down and they usually hit something and when he does that he wants food. But usually that something is me or James."

"How much baby food have you given him? James mentioned you were starting to try it."

"Well we have, but Harry hasn't really liked anything we've tried." Lily said as the front door slammed and James and Sirius came in out of the snow. "No." Lily put up a hand as James had made to kiss Harry in greeting. "You can get dry before you come near him." James sighed and then dried himself with a flick of his wand. "Good." Lily smiled and James kissed both her and Harry. Sirius had plopped down on the couch next to Katy and Lucie.

"And how are you, oh jewel of my life?" he asked with a grin.

"You've done something, haven't you?" Katy frowned.

"Can't a guy compliment his wife around here?"

"Yes, but not like that. It's… suspicious sounding." She giggled. "But as long as you didn't get into trouble, we're good. But I am hungry." She stood up. "And now that you two are back, we can eat."

Lily hadn't been lying when she said Harry was not a fan of baby food. They tried it again at lunch and he made a disgusted face to each and removed it from his mouth by wiping it off on the side of his face.

"I blame you for this, James." Lily frowned at her husband who looked a bit like a deer in headlights at that.

"Why?" James asked.

"I am not a picky eater and you are. And you have passed that on to Harry. Why would you do that?"

"I'm dreadfully sorry, let's send him back and I'll ask for that gene to be removed before we get a replacement child." James picked up his wand and used it to get the offensive items off Harry's tray and face. Both children laughed happily at the food soaring through the air. Magic wasn't uncommon to them, but they loved to see it at work.

James and Sirius had a kind of friendly competition going about which child did what first. It so happened that Lucie took her first step rather early and was therefore a few weeks before Harry on that, but Harry said his first word before she did so the two big monuments were evenly distributed between the two of them. However Sirius still thought he should get the points for the first word because Harry's had been something that sounded like and meant Mummy and Lucie had said "Dog" in relation to Sirius.

* * *

"What do you think, Kate?" Sirius called one morning as she stumbled sleepily out of bed in mid June.

"Why are you always so chipper when I wake up?" She frowned at him. "And I think it's a bit small for you."

"Not for me, for Harry." Sirius grinned broadly and held up the little broomstick.

"Lily will _murder_ you. Multiple times." Katy said.

"No she won't. Well, just at first. She'll love it once she sees how happy it makes Harry. And James for that matter."

"James didn't by any chance ask you to get that for him? Because I know he's been wanting to get Harry a broom and Lily told him not to."

"No, I bought this all by myself." Sirius frowned. He pulled out a large box and some brightly colored paper and a large red bow and waved his wand at it all. The broom jumped out of his hands and into the box which sealed itself shut and the paper wrapped it up and the bow tied around it. Sirius had sent it before the day was done.

_Lily again._

They had had a little private party, ceremony almost but not really to officially, at least within their own families, call Sirius Harry's Godfather and Remus Lucie's Godfather. Lily thought they might have to go and write it somewhere official with the Ministry but they weren't really worried about that.

The nine of them had then gone to eat dinner but they had to leave early because Lucie had a spectacular meltdown in the restaurant. James invited everyone back to their house and it only ended up being Remus and Aimy who went with them because Sirius and Katy went home to deal with Lucie and Peter said he had somewhere he had to go.

* * *

"Lily!" Remus appeared in her kitchen, frantic. It was eight in the morning and, Lily thought, the morning after the full moon in early July. "Lily, you have to help me." Remus looked badly bruised and there was something that looked suspiciously like blood on his face and arms.

"Remus, what happened?" Lily was scared; she had never seen him so worked up.

"Aimy…" He whispered and tears began pouring down his face. "I… Lily I… something happened last night."

"What do you mean?" Lily was scared Remus was about to tell her he had bitten Aimy or something like that.

"She's… gone." He said and Lily wasn't reassured at all. Katy had used the same term four years earlier to describe what had happened to Lucie and so Lily no longer trusted the term "she's gone" to mean what it sounded like. Remus grabbed her arm and Apparated her into his backyard. There was a huge gaping hole in his enclosure.

"You escaped…" She whispered in fear and he nodded and pulled her into the house, it had been ripped apart.

"Moony apparently didn't want to go into the forest." He said bitterly, pointing at the shredded furniture and walls. "And I'm afraid I may have attacked Aimy, but she got away cause she isn't here." His voice was shaking and he was looking helplessly around the otherwise empty house.

"But you didn't hurt her enough she couldn't leave." Lily said, trying to be optimistic. "And you don't know you hurt her, maybe she'll come home soon."

"But there's blood over here and I don't have enough scratches on me to cause that much." His voice was barely above a whisper and he pointing a trembling finger at the couch which did have a lot of blood on it. Lily gasped when she saw a broken cup of tea on the ground. That meant Aimy had been sitting down to a cup of tea, likely just before she went to bed, when Remus-in-werewolf-form found her.

"Maybe she Apparated away so you couldn't hurt her." Lily again tried to be a bit optimistic.

"Then she would have come back by now. She knows that I change back when the sun rises."

"Maybe she got a bit hurt and she's at St. Mungo's being healed and she'll be back later today." Lily knew her arguments were getting less and less plausible and as much as she hated to admit it to herself, she had a feeling Aimy wasn't coming back. She was afraid Aimy had been badly enough hurt that, even if she could still get away, she wouldn't have lasted for very long and Lily felt like she just knew that Aimy had probably bled to death somewhere far away. Lily knew that people were supposedly likely to Apparate to a place they had only been once or twice, just somewhere they'd heard of even, when it was life or death because they didn't have a chance to think which made it much harder to find them and it was possible Aimy had gone to some deserted holiday spot or lonely bit of highway. "Remus come back with me, it won't do you any good to stay here." He looked like he didn't want to but he reluctantly took her hand and she Apparated them both back to her house where James was just getting Harry up.

"Morning Lily, where were you?" He called from upstairs.

"I won't tell him, they don't need to know just yet." Lily whispered to Remus. "Just took a walk with Remus and he's here with me." She called up to James.

"Moony! Good morning." He appeared at the top of the stairs with Harry in his arms.

"Mummy!" Harry shouted at Lily and waved his little arms at her. She smiled and took him from James.

"Rough moon?" James asked Remus, taking in his appearance.

"Yeah, rough moon." Remus repeated, frowning at James.

"Would you like something?" Lily interrupted, hoping James would just go with the flow and not question Remus. "Cup of tea?"

"That would be lovely." Remus said, grateful for the topic change. Looking at James, Lily could tell that it hadn't gone unnoticed and she had a feeling he would be asking her about it, but he could tell it wasn't something to press just then.

Remus downed an entire cup of tea in one gulp, he was still very pale and hardly participated in the conversation at all, not that there was much of a conversation to participate in. Lily wasn't sure what to say and James seemed to have sensed that something he wasn't being informed of had happened that neither Lily nor Remus wanted to discuss but this made him unsure of what to talk about, lest he happen upon the tender subject.

"So, where did you walk?" James asked nervously.

"Just around the neighborhood." Lily said quickly, plopping Harry down in his highchair, although he was not so pleased with that change of events.

"Oh." James said and seemed desperate to occupy himself with something and so, instead of using magic, went over to the cupboard and got out a little plastic bowl and some Cheerios for Harry to eat. Lily was rooting around the refrigerator for milk. "Aimy go with you?" He asked and Lily tried to stand up really fast and hit the ceiling of the refrigerator with a loud thunk. Glancing at Remus, who had turned white, Lily decided to create some sort of diversion.

"Merlin, that hurt!" She said loudly even though it hadn't hurt that bad.

"You… you okay Lily?" James asked, he too was looking at Remus who was staring at his empty tea cup.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, that was not pleasant though, that's for sure." She rubbed her head and grabbed the milk. She took Harry's bowl away from him, he was trying to wear it like a hat, and got the Cheerios off the table and poured some in the bowl and added a little milk. "Harry, sweetheart, are you going to eat?" She asked him.

"Eat Mummy, eat!" he shouted and she put the bowl in front of him. His small hand went rocketing into it and came up dripping wet and full of Cheerios.

"No, no, Harry, you have to use the spoon."

"Bad 'poon." Harry's little brow creased as he tried to stuff the contents of his hand into his mouth.

"No, good spoon." Lily poured herself a bowl of cereal. "Mummy likes to use spoons, Harry."

"'Poon, 'poon!" Harry was now eager to use a spoon; he always wanted anything Lily had. She smiled to herself and got a plastic spoon out of the silverware drawer.

"No!" Harry glared at his brightly colored spoon. "'Poon." He pointed at Lily's spoon. She sighed and Charmed the spoon she was holding out to him so that it looked exactly like the metal one she was using, but still wouldn't hurt him and was still made of plastic. "'Poon." He smiled fondly at it and slapped the surface of his cereal's milk, spattering himself with whiteness. Harry burst out laughing and even Remus' face brightened a bit at his contagious giggles and dripping face.

"Would you like anything to eat, Moony?" James asked as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"No, not really hungry." Remus replied quickly.

"Lily, did we have any plans today?" James asked after a long pause. Lily shook her head. "Sirius and Katy were wondering if we could watch Lucie for the day, they want to go and do something together. I said I thought we could."

"That would be fun," Lily smiled. "Remus why don't you stay as well. I bet Lucie would like to see you."

"Maybe." Remus said doubtfully.

"Come on Moony, she'd love to. And Harry likes you as well." James grinned at Remus who smiled back but with no real emotion.

Lily desperately wanted to talk to Remus, but she didn't know if Remus wanted anyone else to know what had happened just then, although it wasn't like either of them really knew what had happened. She had no idea what Sirius and Katy had planned, but she decided to ask them when they got there. She pulled Katy out of the room.

"What are you two doing?"

"Just walking, spending some time that isn't devoted to Lucie, some us time. To talk about things that aren't spit up, baby food and Cheerios." Katy grinned.

"Invite James. Please."

"Why?"

"I need to talk to Remus and I need to talk to him alone. Please invite James." Lily was almost begging and she could see that Katy was very confused but, like James, not going to ask as she could tell it wasn't going to be shared.

"All… alright." Katy said with an odd glance at Lily and went and ran the plan by Sirius who looked confused as well but nodded. "James, would you like to come with us? Get some fresh air? It would be fun." James looked at Lily who looked back, willing him not to question and just agree.

"You don't need my help with the kids?" he asked uncertainly.

"No, Remus will be here." Lily said quickly. "You should go and have fun. Don't worry about us. We're still not outnumbered." She smiled and James glanced once more between her and Remus and nodded to Katy.

"Lovely." Katy pushed him toward the fireplace. "We're starting in Diagon Alley, but we might go somewhere else from there." James was the first to go, followed quickly by Katy and Sirius.

"That was not sneaky at all." Remus said to Lily, picking up Lucie who was pulling on his pants. "Good morning, Lucie." He kissed her forehead.

"Moo'y boo-boo." Her little face scrunched up in a frown as she rubbed the blood on his face.

"No, no, don't touch that." He said, quickly pulling her hand away. She glared stubbornly at him.

"Moo'y thad." She stated.

"Just a little, so what are we playing today?" He asked and Lucie started wriggling wildly to get set down.

"Wo'f." She started crawling around making growling noises but giggling at the same time which made her much less intimidating. Lily wished she had picked a different game. Pretending to be a wolf was not what Remus needed just then. He was staring at Lucie sadly. "'Tag?" She tried, standing up and putting her hands on top of her head in an imitation of antlers. She then began running around making dog noises, apparently she had the animagi of the various men in her life confused. Lily laughed quietly. Remus no longer looked sad; he too was laughing and watching his little goddaughter happily.

Lily decided to leave well enough alone and got the breakfast dishes cleaned up while Remus played with Lucie. Harry was following Lily around the kitchen, keeping a firm grasp on her skirt. Lily thought it was amazing just how completely wrapped around her little finger Lucie had both Sirius and Remus. Glancing over, she saw that Remus was sitting on the floor while Lucie stood on the couch just behind him and pulled his hair this way and that. And it couldn't have been all that gentle as Remus' head was swaying back and forth with each tug.

"'Nished!" Lucie announced happily, jumping down from the couch and landing with a small crash. However, like many baby falls, she barely noticed and hopped up again smiling. Remus' head looked rather like it had just experienced a small, personal hurricane but he didn't seem to care. Lucie was standing in front of him, staring with concern at his face. She then leaned forward and kissed his cheek before standing up straight again with a proud smile. "Lucie fix Moo'y!"

"You've been fixed?" Lily turned around to that proclamation.

"Apparently I have. She's got magic kisses, this one."

"Like Mummy." Lucie said happily.

"Mummy has magic kisses?" Remus asked and Lucie nodded vigorously. "How about Daddy?" Lucie shook her head and Lily started laughing.

"Daddy doggy."

"Dogs can't have magic kisses?" Remus asked, his mouth twitching.

"No. 'Limy kisses." Lucie made a face.

"I'm telling him you think his kisses are slimy." Remus grinned.

"No, no, no!" Lucie waved her arms around madly and clamped her little hands down on Remus' mouth. "Bad Moo'y." She glared fiercely at him. "Yucky!" She shouted after a few seconds and pulled her hands, wiping them off on the couch.

"What did you do?" Lily asked.

"Stuck out my tongue." Remus laughed.

Lily was pleased with the day, even though she never got a chance to talk to Remus; he seemed greatly improved by spending the day with the babies.

"Remus?" Lily called. Three heads poked around the corner, all grinned widely at her. "Remus, I've just got to run out to the store, would you mind? I'll be back shortly, half an hour, maybe an hour."

"Not at all." He smiled. "Hey!" He frowned down at the two smiling faces below him. Lucie started cackling happily and Harry was grinning angelically up at him. Lily wasn't at all sure what had happened and didn't think she entirely wanted to know.

"Moo'y." Lucie said about forty five minutes after Lily had left. "What dat?" She pointed at a cupboard which was shaking a bit.

"Don't touch it." Remus frowned. He patted his pockets, but his wand wasn't in them. He remembered setting it down in the kitchen. He got into the kitchen and heard Lucie scream in fright.

"No, no, doh away!" Harry shouted and then he yelped as well. Then there was a pause and little giggles came. Remus bolted back into the living room to find both children laughing together. On the floor in front of them, and the open cupboard, was half of a slug. It was large and fairly disgusting looking, but they seemed to think it was funny. Remus approached it and it turned to him and with a crack a full moon appeared above him. He sighed and cast his Riddikulus Charm and the Boggart exploded into dust.

"Where thlug go?" Lucie asked.

"The slug's gone." Remus frowned. He wondered what the Boggart had turned into when it had faced each child separately as it had definitely scared them.

"Are you staying for dinner, Remus?" Lily asked that night.

"If you don't mind." He said quickly.

"Of course not." James clapped him on the back. "Why don't you just run home and invite Aimy."

"I don't think she's there." Remus said in almost a whisper, not meeting James' eye.

"What… why… what happened?" James pulled out a chair and sat down with a determined look on his face. "I know something happened and you go all funny whenever I talk about Aimy so what happened?"

"I don't really know." Remus frowned at James.

"Do you want me to?" Lily asked quietly and Remus nodded shortly before quickly walking out the back door and settling himself in the porch swing out there and Lily thought she may have seen one or two tears on his face as he left.

"Lily, what happened to Aimy?"

"Well, you know it was full moon last night." She began and James paled.

"He didn't bite her, did he?"

"We don't know. But he got out, and he went in the house." Lily took a breath and James made a funny noise in his throat. "And there was… was a lot of… of blood. But Aimy's gone, we don't know where she went and she hasn't come back. Remus doesn't think she's ever coming back."

A kind of wordless agreement had been made to not mention Aimy around Remus anymore and Lily hoped he appreciated that they were at least trying.

_So that is not the end of Aimy, she will reappear in not too long... _

_Please review!!!_

_~Lily_


	67. Chapter 66

_Sorry I haven't updated... thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has reviewed!!! it always makes my day when i check my email and there are reviews!!_

Chapter 66  
_Katy_

"Ha!" About a month later, Sirius came running into the living room waving a paper in Katy's face.

"Sirius, just a moment." She frowned. Lucie was running in fast circles around the coffee table which Katy had made rounded at the corners so that Lucie couldn't get seriously hurt. "What is it?" It was a letter from Lily.

**_Padfoot,_**

**_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far. One year old and already zooming along on a toy broomstick, he looked so pleased with himself, I'm enclosing a picture so you can see. You know it only rises about two feet off the ground, but he nearly killed the cat and he smashed a horrible vase Petunia sent me for Christmas (no complaints there). Of course, James thought it was so funny, says he's going to be a great Quidditch player, but we've had to pack away all the ornaments and make sure we don't take out eyes off him once he gets going._**

**_We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us and who dotes on Harry. We were so sorry you couldn't come but the Order's got to come first and Harry's not old enough to know it's his birthday anyway! James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here, he tries not to show it, but I can tell – also, Dumbledore's still got his Invisibility Cloak, so no chance of little excursions. If you could visit, it would cheer him up so much. Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed down, but that was probably the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard._**

**_Bathilda drops in most days, she's a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I'm not sure he'd be pleased if he knew! I don't know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore could ever have been friends with Gellert Grindlewald. I think her mind's going, personally!_**

**_Lots of love,  
Lily_**

"Fine, she liked it. But I agree with her on whoever this Bathilda person is. Dumbledore friends with Grindlewald? That's probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." Katy laughed. "And since when do they have a cat?"

"Lily said Bathilda gave it to them as a present for Harry when they first moved it." Sirius said. "Apparently Harry isn't very careful with his pets."

"And do you know who Bathilda is?" Katy asked.

"Bathilda Bagshot."

"Didn't she write one of our books for Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, History of Magic." Sirius sat down. "The boring class."

"I bet Lily loves her." Katy grinned. "So are you going to go and visit?" She asked. "And can I come? I really, really want to see them. And give us the picture." She held up her hand and Sirius pulled a picture out of his pocket. It had a laughing Harry zooming in and out of the frame and James was chasing him with Lily watching and laughing. "Oh he's so cute." She smiled.

"Lily?" Lucie had stopped running upon hearing Katy say Lily's name. "Lily go bye?" She asked with a frown. "Harry go bye?" Lucie had never been able to say James and so usually just avoided talking about him. "All go bye?"

"Yes, Lucie, they had to say goodbye for a little while, but don't worry, we'll see them again soon." Katy smiled and Lucie crawled up into her lap. "Harry!" She said excitedly and pointed at Harry. "Where go?" She frowned up at her parents. Harry had just flown out of the frame. "Harry!" She cheered for he had returned.

James and Lily had moved to a little town called Godric's Hollow. Katy would never forget the day that she and James and had broken that particular piece of news to them.

__

Lily's POV but the scene Katy is thinking of.

"We have to go into hiding." James had said. Katy, Sirius, Remus and Peter were all at the Potter's old house and all appalled. "Dumbledore said You-Know-Who knows about the prophecy and he thinks it means Harry and he's going to try to kill Harry. Dumbledore said that You-Know-Who thinks the prophecy is telling him to kill Harry and then there will be no one to stop him."

"No one to stop him?" Katy whispered.

"So if You-Know-Who will be unstoppable if he kills Harry?" Sirius asked, gaping at James and Lily.

"Pretty much." Lily said, horrified.

"Dumbledore suggested a Fedeluis Charm on our house." James said. "He offered to be our secret keeper. He said he wasn't suspecting anyone in particular but he had a feeling You-Know-Who knows more about us than we either think or want. It sounded," James seemed highly uncomfortable with what he was trying to say. "It sounded like he thought one of our close friends might not be completely on our side. But I don't agree, don't think I'm suspecting any of you." He added quickly. Lily didn't necessarily think that any of their friends were traitors but she was curious about how they would react to hearing what James had said and so had watched the faces of the people in front of her intently. Peter had looked terrified at the very thought, but that made sense, the idea of one of her friends selling her son to You-Know-Who terrified her as well. However Remus glared darkly and looked down which Lily thought was a bit odd and she met Sirius' eye and they shared a look that clearly both of them had noticed this reaction and thought it weird.

"Lily, do you fancy some air? You're looking a bit peaky. Hard day, and all that." Sirius announced a bit later that evening. "Let's take a walk." They were met with confused faces but no one asked them to stay and Sirius dragged her out of the house. Lily had a feeling she knew what this was about. "I didn't imagine that, did I?" He apparently didn't want to accuse if it wasn't true.

"No, no I think it was real." Lily didn't either.

"And it didn't make sense, did it?"

"No, it just looked… off." Lily frowned. "But it can't be. He wouldn't."

"No, no, I'm not saying he would."

"I know." Lily thought this conversation was a bit ridiculous. They both knew exactly what they were talking about but neither wanted to say it. And the worst bit for Lily at least was that she had a little voice in her head saying that a lot of werewolves had gone over to the Dark Side. But she hated herself for even thinking that. Wasn't there already enough prejudice against werewolves without Remus having to endure it from his friends? Besides, Lily knew what it was like to be hated for something you couldn't control, she couldn't help it that she had been born with magical powers, and yet the Death Eaters wanted her dead for it.

"It's prejudiced, isn't it?" Sirius asked after a long silence. Apparently he had been thinking along the same lines as she had.

"Yes, it is. But I know what you mean." She said quickly. "I just can't believe he would though."

"Me neither."

"Well he might not be. I don't think he is yet. I just want an answer for why he was so… I don't know, he didn't even seem scared or surprised, just angry." Lily had finally voiced the real reason she had any suspicions against Remus. The fact that he didn't look like it was a surprise and that all he did was get angry looking.

When they returned Peter had gone. Remus was sitting by himself on the sofa and Katy and James were talking quietly and seriously at the kitchen table.

"Just wanted to say goodnight." Remus said almost as soon as they shut the door. He waved goodbye and almost ran out the front door.

Lily forced herself to accept he had been like that ever since Aimy had disappeared, particularly since he had heard nothing from her, but there was that little voice in her head that was trying to tell her he had been even quicker than usual to leave.

Lily and Sirius both attempted to share their… fear… suspicion, Lily wasn't sure how to describe it, without actually making any accusations but they got the message across. James didn't believe them. He said Remus had probably been upset at the idea that one of their close friends was betraying them. Katy obviously didn't want to believe it but Lily could tell that she and Sirius did have an effect on her. She seemed to be deep in thought all evening and didn't change when she and Sirius left for the night.

_Katy's again, still the same scene_

"Did you and Lily really mean that? Do you really think Remus is a spy for You-Know-Who?" She knew it was blunt but she had to say it. No one else would.

"I..." Sirius was clearly taken aback. "You make it sound so…"

"Well I think it's a pretty big deal to accuse one of your best friends of something like that." She frowned at him. "I don't like it."

"I just wondered, that's all. You didn't see him, Kate, both Lily and I thought it was a bit weird when we saw it."

"Maybe, but why be so quick?" Katy persisted. There were two real reasons for why she was arguing back, the first being the obvious reason of she really didn't want to think that about Remus and she really didn't think he would go over and the second being because she had been the one who wanted him as her daughter's Godfather. Katy knew deep inside that Sirius would probably have picked James if she hadn't asked for it to be Remus. Lucie's Godfather just could not be a spy for You-Know-Who.

* * *

One morning in the middle of August, Katy woke up find that Sirius had left. He had scrawled a quick note and left it on the middle of the kitchen table.

_I'm at Lily and James'. We're figuring out what's going to happen. Lucie's still asleep._

They're figuring out what's going to happen? Katy wasn't at all sure what that meant. She wandered into Lucie's bedroom but Lucie was, as the note said, still asleep. The room always made Katy smile, it was still pink, pink, pink, pink and it still said Annie in large letters on the wall.

Katy went back into the living room and sat down on the couch. She had no idea why, she had been alone in the house before, but she was immediately bored out of her mind. Maybe it was because she knew that Sirius was off making plans and he was with James and Lily, but nothing sounded remotely fun to do. She skimmed through a couple of books; she flipped on the television and soon flipped it off. She and Sirius hardly ever used the television but she still thought it was particularly ingenious of Muggles, however today it seemed uninteresting.

When Lucie woke up, Katy had never been so happy to hear her cry. She rushed in and pulled her out of the crib.

"Good morning, love." She kissed her.

"Mummy, Mummy." Lucie grabbed hold of her chin and grinned at her.

"Are you hungry?" She asked and sat down on the couch with Lucie on her lap.

"No." Lucie frowned. "Daddy?" She asked, looking around the room.

"Daddy's going to be back soon." Katy said. She didn't actually know when Sirius would be back, but she hoped it wouldn't be too long.

"Katy?" she heard a voice in the fireplace. Frank Longbottom's head was in it. "Good morning." He smiled at her.

"Morning." She said and Lucie wriggled free and scampered over to Frank.

"Hello!" She beamed at him.

"Hello, Lucie." He smiled at her. "Katy, Alice and I were wondering if you three wanted to come with us today. We're going out into the country for a picnic, get away from the city and the Order and You-Know-Who and everything for a little while."

"That sounds lovely!" Katy grinned. This was just what she needed. "But Sirius isn't actually here right now. However, Lucie and I can surely come. Just give us a bit of time to get dressed." She gestured down at her own nightdress and Lucie's pajamas, which were, of course, pink. Frank nodded.

"Why don't you two just Floo over when you're ready? No hurry, either. We've got all day." Katy agreed and Frank's head disappeared.

"Right, Lucie, we're going to spend the day with Neville."

"Ne…" Lucie's face scrunched up. "Good." She said and Katy had a feeling Lucie didn't have the faintest idea how to say "Neville" and so had chosen to say something else. She grabbed Lucie and together they went into Katy and Sirius' bedroom and Katy set Lucie down on the bed. She Charmed the bed so that Lucie couldn't fall off it and turned to her closet. Twenty minutes later Katy was completely ready to go and so grabbed Lucie off the bed and the two of them went into Lucie's room.

"What do you want to wear, sweetheart?" She asked. Lucie loved to dress herself but it wasn't a problem because all her clothes were the same color so they all matched.

She picked a summer dress, slippers, her snow hat and large pink bow to go in her hair. Katy thought she looked remarkably weird when she was dressed but Lucie didn't want to be changed.

"Right, let's go then, shall we?" Lucie nodded vigorously and Katy carried her into the fireplace. She threw her Floo powder and began spinning very fast and came shooting out in the Longbottom's little house. Katy didn't think she had ever seen as nice a house as Frank and Alice Longbottom's. It was just the right size for three people and very simple but bright and pleasant looking. "Hello?" She called.

"Katy!" Alice came in with Neville in her arms. "Hello, Lucie."

"Hi." Lucie had suddenly turned shy. That was unusual.

"What's the matter, Luc? You know Neville and Alice." Katy kissed her head and Lucie gave Neville and Alice a second glance. She seemed to decide they were in fact people she knew and grinned happily at them. "Hello, Neville." Katy said to the little boy in front of her. He grinned back at her and pointed at Lucie. "Lucie can you say hi?" Lucie became shy again. "Come on, you're always talking at home." Lucie buried her face in Katy's shoulder. "Well then, I suppose we'll all realize we know each other when we eat." She laughed quietly with Alice and then Frank came in with a large, and vaguely tippy, pile of baskets and food boxes and bottles of milk, water and both apple and pumpkin juice.

"That's quite an outfit." Frank said with raised eyebrows when he immerged from behind the food. "Lucie pick it?"

"She picks almost all her outfits." Katy shrugged. "And are we really going to eat all that?"

"Oh, he can eat a lot." Alice said, patting Frank on the arm. "But no, some of it is just the shopping from yesterday. We're just taking the baskets and the drinks."

"Duice!" Lucie shouted excitedly, pointing at the apple juice in Frank's hands. Katy grabbed one of the baskets and Frank and Alice each grabbed one also and off they went.

"Don't go too far, stay just over here, please, Lucie." Katy said as she set Lucie down on the soft grass next to Neville.

"So what's going on with Lily and James?" Frank asked a few minutes later. "They've been gone for weeks, now."

"I don't really know what's happening. Their house is going to be put under a Fedelius Charm, Dumbledore's suggestion, but I don't know who the secret keeper is or when they're going to do the Charm." Katy said with a sigh. "Sirius is there right now, I suppose that's what they're talking about. I suppose Sirius will likely be the secret keeper, but I don't think they would perform the Charm without mentioning it to anyone."

"Well, even if they did tell people they were doing the Charm it wouldn't really accomplish anything because just the knowledge that the Charm is happening doesn't matter." Frank said. "Maybe you'll get home and Sirius will announce the location of the Potter's house."

"Maybe." Katy shrugged.

When she got home that evening she found that she had been right. Sirius announced that he was going to be the Potter's secret keeper but that they weren't going to perform the Charm until sometime in October.

_I hope you like it!! PLease review!!!#_

_~Lily_


	68. Chapter 67

_I am sooo sorry it keeps taking me this long to update!! also... a few chapters back i said there would be like ten more chapters to this story and that was all. haha... i kind of underestimated that... it will take a bit more than ten. i don't mean like another fifty, but you know, more than ten._

_and to laughingcat123: we are currently in the second week of september._

_to thewandofdestiny: i am soooo glad you like the story and you think about it and stuff! that really made my day to read!!!_

_ so.. on with the show!_

Chapter 67  
_Katy_

"I don't want to move." Katy frowned as she and Sirius walked up to the front door of a house that was for sale. A realtor was in front of them and Katy was careful to talk quietly. "I like our apartment. We don't need a bigger house."

"Katy, we need to not be murdered." Sirius said with a sigh. "I don't want to move either."

"But we have to because it's likely some Death Eaters might know where we live or find out where we live and come and get us." Katy recited dully.

"But we don't have to go anywhere until the end of October." Sirius said in an attempt to keep the mood light. "We're not moving until the Charm on Lily and James' house is cast."

"Why don't we just buy this house? It looks nice enough and it isn't too expensive. Do we really have to go and look at three hundred different houses?"

"No, but we at least have to pretend we want to look at the houses."

"No we don't." Katy grinned and tapped the inside pocket on her coat. Her wand was resting in it.

"You want to Confund this poor lady?" Sirius laughed quietly.

"Just so she doesn't think it's odd that we want to buy the house before we even see the inside." Katy giggled.

"We should at least see the inside, maybe it's a disaster zone in there." Sirius said.

"Nah, far too cute to be a disaster zone." Katy shrugged. "But alright, let's take a look around."

* * *

A few weeks later, Katy very grudgingly signed the papers that bought the house. They didn't tell their landlord that they would be moving and they were still figuring out just what they were going to do with the apartment, probably just disappear and be sorry for the mess they were going to create.

"We've only got six more weeks until November." Katy remarked with a sigh. "Only six weeks and we're all going to go and hide from the world. Do you know I haven't seen Lily, James or Harry in over a month?"

"Not over a month, but almost a month, yes." Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry, Kate."

"How come you get to see them?"

"I've only seen them once."

"That's still more than me." Katy frowned. She knew she was being unreasonable but she really didn't care. "I hate this. And I hate You-Know-Who and I hate Death Eaters and I want them all to just disappear!"

"Me too, me too." Sirius grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close to him, kissing her once. "You're far too stressed out, Kate." He kissed her again. "You need to relax." He pulled her onto the couch and they lay there together, silently, while Lucie slept in the next room. Katy had to admit, she greatly enjoyed being able to just lay there and forget about everything around her and just feel Sirius's arms around her and hear his breathing and cuddle up next to him. It made her feel safe, it made her feel like nothing in the world could touch them and for the first time in a very long time she wasn't thinking about the Order, she wasn't thinking about You-Know-Who and she wasn't thinking about Death Eaters. It was divine.

* * *

"Happy 25 months, Lucie." Katy grinned as she lifted Lucie out of her crib on October first.

"Gone." Lucie frowned after Katy set her down on the floor in the living room. She had gone to examine a picture of Lily, James and Harry. "All gone. Bye, bye."

"No, no, Lucie, they aren't all gone," That thought made Katy want to cry. "They're just gone for a little while. We'll see them again soon."

"No more." Lucie said.

"Yes, more and more." Katy had no idea why Lucie was maintaining that they would never see the Potter family again but Katy didn't like it at all.

"I'm going to be gone this evening." Sirius said and it sounded like he didn't want to tell her everything about where he was going.

"You're going out?" Katy asked. She wanted to know where but had the distinct impression he didn't want to tell her.

"Yes, Order stuff, you know." Sirius said quickly. Actually, Katy didn't know. She had been doing less and less with the Order as most of her time was devoted to Lucie. It had been almost two years since the Order had been the main dominating factor of her life.

"What time will you be home?" She asked with a sigh.

"No idea, depends on how long it takes."

"Sirius, what are you doing tonight?" She asked with a frown.

"I told you, stuff for the Order."

"Is it with James and Lily?" She asked. "You don't have to pretend, I know you need to see them because you're going to be the secret keeper." Katy couldn't completely eliminate the bitterness from her voice.

"Yes, I'm going to meet with them and Dumbledore."

"Tell them hi." Katy frowned and left the room. Sirius was left standing in the middle of it apparently unsure of what to do now.

Katy sat down heavily in the living room. She didn't want to be upset or angry that Sirius was going to see James and Lily but she couldn't help it. It wasn't fair. It wasn't remotely fair that she had only seen them once since Lucie turned one year old.

"Mummy, thmile." Lucie clamored up onto the couch next to her and took hold of her cheeks, pulling them backward to force her mouth into a smile. Katy supposed she had been rather sad lately.

"Thank you, Lucie." She smiled for real and Lucie let go of her face. "Daddy has to work tonight, so it's just you and me."

"You and me." Lucie repeated with a broad grin.

"But don't worry, we'll have a good old time." Katy sighed. She had been feeling a kind of constant boredom that didn't actually have to do with being bored, it was more of a refusal to have a good time with whatever she was actually doing and it wasn't helping her one bit.

"Good time, good time!" Lucie beamed at her.

They ended up going to the park, Katy had heard some of the Muggles in the building talking about how it was supposed to get colder soon and this was the last week that people would really be able to enjoy the warmth and so decided it would be good to take Lucie outside.

* * *

"Hey, Kate!" Sirius shouted into the bedroom the next morning.

"I was sleeping you know." She shouted back. "I'm supposed to sleep when Lucie does."

"And you're supposed to be awake when she is, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she's awake. Besides, Frank has a question." Katy got out of bed and went into the living room grumbling loudly.

"Where is he?" She asked and Sirius pointed at the fire. Franks head was sitting it.

"Morning." She yawned hugely at him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." He said. "I was just wondering if you have any plans for Halloween? Last year was fun and Alice and I were wondering if we could do it together again."

"Halloween's ages off." Katy frowned. "But I think we're just going to have something quiet." She said. "Stay in here, we'll be about to move." She added with a frown.

"Oh, alright. Well, if you change your mind, let us know, alright? And Halloween's only about three weeks off." Katy nodded. "Again, terribly sorry to wake you." Frank smiled his goodbye and his head disappeared.

"See, he's at least sorry." Katy frowned at Sirius who grinned at held up Lucie.

"Katy, your daughter smells bad."

"Thanks for telling me…" She grinned. He started to hand Lucie to her. "Ha. You get to change her." Katy smirked. "You've changed her a million times. Why is this news to you?"

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" Lucie shouted happily and wriggled out of his hands and landed on the ground with a soft plopping noise. She hopped up and dragged Sirius into her bedroom where she then starting yelling "No!" after Sirius, Katy assumed, started to change her diaper. "Bad Daddy!" Lucie was slapping the backside of her father as they came marching back out of her bedroom, however her height and the length her arms could stretch made it so that she was spanking him repeatedly. "Bad Daddy!" She was repeating firmly.

"I see you've dropped in popularity since last time I saw you." Katy laughed.

"Well, I wanted you to change the diaper."

"So you want her to not like _me_?" Katy frowned. "Thanks so much. Besides, you spoil her enough already, it's just as well that you have to do the bad bits sometimes."

"Can we potty train her soon?" Sirius asked.

"Not for a little while. She's only just one." Katy shook her head.

"And there isn't any magical bottomless diaper we can buy?" Sirius asked with a hopeful grin.

"Not that I'm aware of." Katy laughed. "But if there was, I'd be the first to buy it."

"Second."

"First."

"Nah, James would get there first."

"You're probably right." Katy laughed and then sat down with a sigh.

The idea of racing James to buy a magical bottomless diaper was an amusing one, but it made her sad to think about James or to think about anything she could do with James as she was no longer able to see him. Sometimes Katy thought that to be completely truthful, she would have to say that James was her best friend. She knew that she thought of Lily as her best friend and likely always would, but James had been her friend from the first time they met which was well before either of them turned one. So in some ways it was harder for her to not be able to see James than Lily because in twenty one years she had never gone more than a week or two without seeing him and now it had been a month and she knew it was unlikely she would get to see him again soon as from what she was hearing from Sirius, it was getting even worse and the Death Eaters were gaining power and it didn't look good for those hoping You-Know-Who would be gone soon.

_What do you think? So three weeks to Halloween...  
Please please please review!!! then I'll update faster!_

_~Lily_


	69. Chapter 68

_A million thanks to each and every one of you who reviewed! see, it makes me update sooner!!_

Chapter 68  
_Lily_

The leaves of the trees all around the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow were turning lovely shades of red, yellow and gold to mark the coming of winter. It had also begun to get rather colder than it normally was in the second week of October.

"Lily, he's here!" James shouted up the stairs and the noise made Harry cry. Lily sighed, he had been almost asleep. She knew he would not be pleased about being left by himself and so took him back in her arms and went downstairs. Sirius was in the living room talking with James. "I thought Harry was napping."

"Well he should be, but you woke him up with all your yelling." Lily frowned at James who kissed her in return. "Hello, Sirius." She said and sat down on the couch next to James. "Are you okay?" He looked like he had not been having a good day and probably didn't get much sleep the night before.

"I think we should change." He said quickly and got up, pacing around the room. "Without telling anyone, though."

"Sirius what are you talking about? Change what?" Lily asked.

"Secret keepers."

"Why would we change secret keepers?" James frowned. "Are you secretly a Death Eater but you don't want to have to give us up?" he laughed.

"Not that I'm aware of." Sirius said with a smile and then began pacing again. "But I mean it, we should change. Everyone will know that I'm the secret keeper; they know we're best friends, and that's why I think it shouldn't be me."

"But Sirius, we're all ready, we're performing the Charm in a week." Lily frowned at Sirius.

"But not with me, don't you see? It needs to be someone they won't suspect, someone no one will assume." Sirius looked down and for the first time he looked a bit ashamed as he added, "Someone they'll likely forget about."

"What are you talking about?" Lily asked again.

"Come on, it's true, it's not nice but everyone else always forgot about him. People just talked about James Potter and Sirius Black." He took a deep breath. "No one remembered Peter Pettigrew."

"You want us to change to Peter?" James asked, surprised.

"Yes!" Sirius said and he sat down, facing them, almost pleading. "Don't you see how perfect it is? We'll tell everyone I'm still the secret keeper, no one will know it's Peter, and so no one will try to touch him, no one will try to get it out of him."

"You know, he may be right." James said to Lily and Lily turned to look at Sirius.

"But everyone would know. Well, the people we tell. We'll have to tell you, then, and Dumbledore, so how will we tell them but not let them know that you aren't the secret keeper?" Lily asked.

"Put it on a paper," James said, his forehead creased in thought. "We write it down, have Peter write it and then we can Charm it so that it looks like Sirius' handwriting."

"Yes!" Sirius jumped up. "Please do this, please!"

"Sirius what are you afraid of?"

"That they'll get it out of me somehow." He said quietly without looking at them.

"That's ridiculous, you'd never betray us." James said with a frown at Sirius.

"That's not what I'm worried about. What if they capture me and force me to tell? They could give me Verituserum or something like it. I just think it's better if the person who is known to be the secret keeper isn't actually the secret keeper."

Lily couldn't help but agree with that. Maybe there was some merit to having an unknown secret keeper. Surely it couldn't be worse; it was worth a try at least. Lily could see that James was thinking along the same lines.

"Will we tell Dumbledore?" Lily asked.

"Not at first, we won't tell anyone at first. I won't even tell Kate for a little while." Sirius said and Lily was a bit alarmed. "No, I mean it, we'll see what happens, see if they come after me, see how the Death Eaters respond, because surely they'll have some way of knowing that we've protected you with a Fedelius Charm. Dumbledore thinks there's a spy in the Order, and if there is that person is bound to inform You-Know-Who that you've been placed under a Fedelius Charm and that I'm the secret keeper. So we won't tell Remus either." Sirius added sadly, almost in an afterthought.

"Okay, so how do we switch to Peter? We have to perform the Charm soon, so we need to talk to him soon." James asked quickly and Lily had a feeling it was to skirt over Sirius' suspicions of Remus. James still didn't believe that Remus was a Death Eater.

"Tomorrow," Lily said. "Tomorrow, come back with Peter and we'll talk about what we're going to do."

Tomorrow seemed to take forever to come. The rest of the day felt like about three days and all morning and all afternoon of the next day felt like months and months. Finally the fireplace roared and out stepped Sirius and Peter.

And then the conversation barely needed to happen. It seemed Sirius had already explained the reason for Peter coming and he agreed readily, saying he thought it was as Sirius said, good for the person who was the secret keeper to be someone other than the person everyone assumed it would be.

* * *

"What are you three doing?" Lily asked the day before they were going to put the secret in Peter. James, Sirius and Peter were all sitting round the kitchen table. James was ripping parchment and handing it to Peter, Peter was writing on it and then giving it to Sirius who was in turn Charming the papers.

"We're writing the address and then Sirius is making it look like his handwriting."

"How many people are you trying to tell?" Lily frowned at the number of papers. "I think that's enough. You really only need one. That way Sirius can show it to the _few_ people we tell and it will still look like he's the secret keeper."

"Genius!" James grinned and quickly Vanished all but one.

"Hey!" Sirius frowned.

"Come on, Lily's right, the more we have to more likely someone we don't want to will see them."

"Thank you, James. Now who are we telling?" Lily sat down at the free chair.

"We have to tell Dumbledore, and we'll tell Katy and we should tell Remus but that's all who need to know. We just won't tell any of them we switched."

"I thought we weren't telling Remus?" Peter asked.

"Nah, that'd look way too suspicious, we're just not telling him that you're the secret keeper instead of me." Sirius shrugged. "But I doubt he'll be coming to visit all that often, anyway."

"Oh, and James?" Lily said on her way out. "Your Cloak isn't where you usually keep it, is there a problem or something?"

"No, I lent it to Dumbledore, remember? He said he wanted to see it." James shrugged. Lily found it a bit odd that Dumbledore hadn't given it back yet, but didn't argue.

_

* * *

_

Katy's POV

It was the twentieth of October, the day the Fedelius Charm was to be performed. The day Sirius would have to most important secret in the world magically put inside him. After Sirius left, Katy sat down on the couch and cried and cried. She cried because she couldn't be there, she cried because of how You-Know-Who had ripped their lives to pieces, and she cried because she had been so short with Sirius for a month. Katy decided she would stop being a pain and start actually helping so she slowly got up from the couch, wiped her eyes and began to pack their things into boxes. The next day they were supposed to move but they were leaving their furniture in the apartment, except for the special things, like Katy's mother's rocking chair and Lucie's crib. They were just going to get themselves a new bed, new couches and a new table. Katy Levitated all her clothes out of her closet and into the boxes and then did the same with Sirius'. She lugged those boxes out into the living room and then went into Lucie's room, carefully so as not to wake Lucie, she got all of Lucie's things in some more boxes and dragged them out to the living room.

"You packed?" Sirius asked upon stepping out of the fireplace and seeing the living room full of boxes. "Here," He stuffed a paper under her nose and she read the address she already knew so well. James and Lily Potter's house. "Now you know the secret."

"Thanks…" She smiled sadly. Seeing that paper made her want to cry again. It was for real, she couldn't pretend it was all a very long, very bad dream. James and Lily were living under Sirius' protection. She knew they were completely safe, he wouldn't betray them for anything, but it still seemed faintly ominous that their livelihood depended on one person. "Why didn't you just say it?"

"I wanted to make sure the paper worked, it's Charmed so that only those who I want to see it can see it."

"Smart idea." Katy sighed. "Shall we get going, then?" She pointed to the boxes surrounding them.

"Yeah, I guess so," Sirius said and walked over to her. "I love you, Katy, you know that?"

"Of course I know that. I love you too."

"I'm sorry," He paused. "That you didn't get to see them again."

"It's alright, Sirius, I'll see them when this is all over." He nodded and kissed her.

"Right, so how should we do this?" he pointed at the boxes.

"Use your wand." Katy smiled and Shrunk the boxes. She dropped half of them into her pockets and Sirius dropped the other half in his. "Can you get Lucie?" She asked. Sirius went into Lucie's room where she was playing on the floor with the toys Katy hadn't packed. Sirius walked out again with Lucie on his shoulders. Katy Shrunk her mother's rocking chair last and picked it up carefully, so as not to break it, and turned on the spot into the blackness.

Sirius and Lucie appeared a few moments later, Lucie was scowling as she didn't like Appirating. The house felt cold and unfriendly but Katy knew that was just because it wasn't where she wanted to be. They spent the rest of the day Transfiguring various pieces of useless junk they discovered in closets into useful things like beds and couches and tables. Katy found herself unpacking Lucie's things in an unusually slow manner; she didn't really want to put any of their stuff in this house: that felt too final.

* * *

"So what do we do in this house?" She asked Sirius that night as they sat in the living room that felt all wrong.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a confused frown.

"Well, what do we do now? We can't plan for how to protect Lily, James and Harry as they're already protected by you," Sirius looked at his lap then but Katy wasn't sure why. "Sirius, they're fine, as long as you're careful when you leave no one is going to torture anything out of you." This did not seem to reassure him. "But I mean it; we have nothing left to do. We're just supposed to keep out of harm's way, now."

"So we just get to live, just the three of us." He smiled. "Like a normal family without any Death Eaters attempting to kill us off."

"Whoopee." Katy grinned. "I don't think we even _know_ how to be a normal family."

"Probably not, but there's always time to learn." He shrugged. "Now where is the third member of our normal family?"

"No idea. I would guess she's bobbing around somewhere drawing on walls or some other such delightful thing she enjoys doing."

"When did she start drawing on walls? I thought kids don't do that for a few more years."

"Well, technically it wasn't on purpose, but I gave her some crayons a few days ago and she was waving them around and made a really big mark on the wall in the kitchen but I cleaned it up."

"I see." Sirius stood up. "Well shall we go and find her?" But there was no need. Lucie came toddling into the living room dragging one of her dolls by the hair.

"Lucie, sweetie, you're hurting your doll like that." Katy said and tried to pull the doll out of Lucie's hands to turn it the right way but Lucie swung it out of her reach, still by the hair.

"Bad Mummy." She frowned. "Look, Daddy!" She held up the doll with a huge grin. Katy could tell Sirius was attempting to find something new and exciting in the doll that would have prompted it being shown. Katy didn't see anything and Sirius didn't seem to have either.

"That's… nice, Lucie." He said and took the offered doll. Lucie then tried to climb onto his lap but didn't make it and he grabbed her arms just before she went crashing down and pulled her up. "Do you like your new room?" he asked.

"Bad boo." She frowned.

"Boo?" Sirius looked at Katy. "What does 'boo' mean?"

"Well either there's bad tempered ghost who lives in her room or she's upset that the walls are blue." Katy grinned. "I'm going to guess it's the walls, myself.

_So the Charm has been performed... and Sirius and Katy are living in a new house. _

_PLease Please review!!_

_~Lily_


	70. Chapter 69

_Thank you to all of you who reviewed! I love checking my email and seeing that I have new reviews! However, I don't really feel there is much I can or should say to introduce this chapter other than that t__his chapter again includes some things from Deathly hallows and all of that stuff will be in bold. _

Chapter 69  
_Lily_

Lily had watched the trick-or-treaters out the window most of the evening. It was always fun to see what costumes the kids came up with, particularly the ones that were supposed to be magical creatures, and Lily also liked watching because she could remember when she was a child, before she knew she was a witch, when she would also dress up like fairies and princesses and various magical things that didn't look remotely correct.

She was upstairs, in her bedroom, reading a book and thinking about all the various costumes she had made with her mother and sister as a child. But it was getting to be time to put Harry to bed. She glanced over at her bedside table to make sure her wand was where she thought it was and got up to go and get Harry's bed ready.

Lily dawdled in Harry's room. She didn't want to have to take Harry away from James as the two of them were having so much fun. She rearranged the stuffed animals in his crib and then rearranged them again and then switched which ones were in it and then just stood in his room looking around for a while.

Finally she went back downstairs and took Harry from James. She kissed her son's head and began walking up the stairs with him. She was halfway up when James shouted. His words froze her insides, **"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"** Lily didn't hear the curse being cast, she didn't hear anything, but she knew, she just knew that her husband was dead.

Lily didn't have time for her brain to even get to the fact that Peter had betrayed them; she was running into Harry's room and realizing she had no wand with her. She hurriedly pushed chairs and boxes up against the door to slow him down as much as possible. And then she could hear him outside the door. There was bang and her little blockade was destroyed and Lord Voldemort was standing in the doorway of Harry's room, intent upon killing him.

**At the sight of him, she dropped her son into the cot behind her and threw her arms wide, as if this would help, as if in shielding him from sight she hoped to be chosen instead…**

"**Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"**

"**Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now…"**

"**Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead –" **

"**This is my last warning –"**

"**Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy… Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything –"**

"**Stand aside – stand aside, girl –"**

Lily saw the curse coming at her. It seemed to slow down and all Lily could think of was Harry, she had to save him, she had to, no matter what, he had to live. She would do anything, anything at all just to save her little baby. And then she felt that jet of deadly green hit her and for the tiniest fraction of a second, Lily knew she had failed to keep her son safe.

_I am not pretending to know what it feels like to have an experience like what i just tried to write, so if you feel i did an inadiquate in writing Lily's final moments, accept my humblest aplogies. The next chapter will be Katy's POV of this night._

_~Lily_


	71. Chapter 70

_so no one wants to read a long message from me right now i think so off we go... but because the last chapter was really short... this one is suuuuuper long._

Chapter 70  
_Katy_

"Sirius, it's Halloween, you don't have to check on Peter until tomorrow." Katy was a bit fed up; Sirius had been trying to convince her to let him check on Peter. Katy knew technically he was supposed to go that day, but she didn't see why he couldn't wait one more day.

"Katy, I'm supposed to check up on him, we're all about go into hiding for good, or at least till You-Know-Who's gone, and I'm supposed to make sure he's all set. It won't take ten minutes. I just need to go see him and make sure there isn't anything he needs. I'll be right back." Sirius was already putting on his coat. "I promise."

"Alright fine, give him my best, won't you? Lucie may be in bed when you get back though, it's after bedtime." Katy smiled and Sirius walked over to Lucie who was toddling around on the floor. He picked her up and kissed her goodnight. He waved goodbye to Katy before hurrying out of the house where Katy heard the roar of his flying motorbike as he lifted off into the sky.

"Bout ready for bed, Luc?"Katy asked, sitting on the floor next to Lucie.

"No, Mummy, no!" Lucie shouted and jumped on Katy, burying her face in Katy's shoulder, Katy wasn't sure how jumping onto her was going to prevent bedtime from arriving, but it seemed to be Lucie's strategy.

"Well, it's either bedtime or bath time, but you can pick." Katy scooped Lucie up and began walking upstairs.

"Bath, Mummy, peas?" Lucie beamed up at Katy.

"Alright, darling, we'll do a bath." Katy kissed Lucie's head and took her into the bathroom. She flicked her wand and the little bath tub that Lucie used filled with warm water. Katy undressed Lucie and plopped her down in the bath. They started their bath just like usual, Lucie got to play in the water for five minutes and then Katy started washing her hair. She used the mini shield Charm that Lily had taught her for keeping the soap out of Lucie's eyes and lathered her blonde curls. Katy was sometimes a little jealous of those blonde curls, she remembered having them and while she was completely used to her black hair, she still sometimes missed being blonde. As she rinsed the soap off of Lucie's hair, she started listening for when Sirius was returning. Lucie then got her body soaped and washed and got some more play time. Katy refused to let herself worry that Sirius wasn't back, but a small part of her kept saying it had been nearly twice as long as Sirius had said it would take.

When it was time for Lucie to get out, Katy pulled Lucie out of the tub, flicked her wand to dry Lucie and carried her into her bedroom. She set her down in her crib and pulled out some pajamas. Grabbing Lucie and getting her into them, Katy then quickly performed the nightly Charm that made the bars on Lucie's crib nothingness so that Katy could sit in the crib with Lucie, but Lucie couldn't fall through as the Charm didn't change the bars for her.

"What book shall we read tonight, love?" Katy asked and they ended up reading _Goodnight Moon. _After it finished, Lucie's eyes were drooping and Katy adjusted her small body so that she wouldn't be bothered by Katy standing up. She sat in the crib with Lucie until she was finally asleep and then went back downstairs, taking her enchanted baby monitor with her. When she got downstairs, her heart fell, glancing at the clock in the empty living room she saw Sirius had been gone for forty-five minutes. "Maybe they had to get something." Katy said to herself. "Maybe Peter needed something and they are out getting it." She glanced out the front window and watched the Muggle children trick-or-treating. She had not had the porch light on all evening, as it seemed like that discouraged them from knocking, but she decided that Sirius had bought loads of candy and it might as well be given away and so flipped on the porch light. Within five minutes, there was a knock on her door. She grabbed the large bowl of candy and opened it. There were three kids standing on the porch who all shouted "Trick-or-treat!" She gave them each a handful of candy and laughed quietly to herself as they ran down the front walk. They had been a witch, a ghost and a fairy, however they looked nothing like the witches, ghosts and fairies Katy had ever seen. The witch had green skin and a long hooked nose with more than one wart on it, the ghost appeared to be a child with a white bedroom sheet draped over themself, and the fairy had on a thin little tutu like skirt with lots of filmy layers and a leotard. In her hair was a crown of flowers. She was cute, but not a fairy.

The next hour went by quickly, Katy didn't even realize how long it had been, she was busy giving away candy and being highly amused by what Muggles seemed to think very many magical beings and creatures looked like. All too soon, it had been two hours since Sirius had left and Katy was doing anything she could not to be worried. She was telling herself that Sirius was probably being irresponsible and reckless and not telling her what he was doing, but it was probably just that he had gone to have a drink with Peter, or perhaps he had gone to see James and Lily.

When Sirius hadn't returned in another forty-five minutes, Katy was no longer able to convince herself nothing had happened. She was sure he was dead. She wasn't really thinking what she was doing and after taking enough time to put on a coat and put the baby monitor inside it, she Apparated to Peter's place and upon finding it empty, she went to the next most likely place: Lily and James'. However she thought she might have done something wrong with her Apparition because the house she found herself in front of had a part that had been blown to smithereens. She turned on the spot again was sucked into the darkness only to be spat out again in exactly the same place.

Her gasp caught in her throat and she collapsed on the ground when the reality of what had happened hit her. This could not be Lily and James' house. Sirius would not betray them, he just couldn't. He wasn't a Death Eater, he wasn't. Katy turned and saw Hagrid standing there, shaking with powerful sobs as he clutched something close to him. Katy hurried over to him.

"Hagrid!" She yelled and he turned towards her, tears pouring down his face."Hagrid, what happened?"

"They… they're," Hagrid broke off, hiccupping. "Dead." He finished but Katy didn't believe it, she left Hagrid to his bawling and hurried toward the house that brought back memories of seeing her own childhood house after her mother had been murdered. It had a huge gaping hole in what Katy knew to be Harry's room. The front of the house was still perfectly intact and Katy ran inside and had to lean on the side table in the front hallway for support because her legs gave out. James was lying on the floor in front of her and he was as still as death.

"James!" Katy screamed and knelt down beside him. "JAMES!" She screeched into his ear as loud as she could but he still didn't move. "Please?" She was begging him to wake up, even to jump up laughing telling her it was all a prank and for Sirius to come waltzing out of the next room, smirking at her face. She wanted Lily to come down the stairs, yelling at James and Sirius for pulling something so stupid. Katy knew she would faint if she didn't get away from James' body and blindly walked past him. Everything was normal, completely normal; it was ominous how perfect it all seemed. There was a glass out on the coffee table, James' wand lying on the couch. _He couldn't even defend himself…_ Katy thought in horror as she went up the stairs. She was going to Harry's room, she didn't think she would be able to see a dead baby's body and not feel physical pain, but she kept going. She turned down the hall and saw the part of the house that had been blown up. Harry's blue door was hanging on one of its hinges and the outer wall of the room was gone. Katy stepped over a bit of rubble and hurried towards the crib. She never got there because she found Lily. Lily, like James, was lying on the ground, far too still for Katy's liking. After shouting Lily's name in her ear a few times, Katy could no longer pretend Sirius hadn't betrayed them all and sold James and Lily to You-Know-Who. She glanced up at the crib and was terrified that Harry was not in it, dead or alive. She ran out of the house and saw Hagrid getting on a motorbike and realized it was Sirius'.

"Where's Sirius, that's his bike?" Katy yelled as she rushed over to Hagrid.

"Lent it to me, I'm supposed to take Harry here to," Hagrid pulled a piece of paper out of one of his many pockets. "Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"Petunia's?" Katy was confused. Lily had told her that she and James had written themselves a will and it said Harry was to go to her and Sirius if anything happened to them. "No, Hagrid, Sirius and I are supposed to get him." She thought for a moment and then, in her rage, in her anger, she changed her mind. "_I'm_ supposed to take care of him. Give him to me."

"That's what Sirius said too, I'm sorry Katy but Professor Dumbledore told me to take Harry there."

"Where did Sirius go?" Katy asked quickly, wondering what Sirius wanted with Harry and happy that Hagrid hadn't given him Harry.

"Off somewhere, said he had something he had to do, looked like he was ready to kill someone." Hagrid nodded his head in farewell and before Katy could protest against Harry going to his aunt and uncle's, Hagrid was off.

Katy didn't know what to do, Sirius was trying to kill someone, who else was he secretly trying to bring down? She also had no idea where he was, what if he was at home waiting to kill her? She sank back down on the bottom stair of the Potter's house in the living room and what had happened hit her, she was shaking as raw pain cleaved at her body. Lily and James could not be dead, Harry could not be off to live with Lily's sister, and Sirius could not be a traitor and could not be somewhere Katy didn't know.

Her mother, her sister, Lily and James; four of the people who meant the most to her in her life were dead. She heard a crack and looked up through her tears to see Dumbledore; she got up and hurried over to him, noticing as she did that there were multiple Muggles in the street all whispering together and slowing getting closer to the destroyed house.

"Professor," She called. "Professor, why is Harry with Petunia?"

"She is the only family he has now." Dumbledore answered, but something about the way he talked made her think that wasn't the whole story. "Katy, I need you to tell me the truth." He said, looking intently at her and there was something that Katy almost thought was fear of her. She nodded, fairly sure what was coming. "Where is Sirius?"

"Hagrid said he said he had something he had to do." Katy answered.

"Do you know anymore?" Dumbledore asked.

"Hagrid said he looked ready to kill someone." Katy whispered, unable to meet Dumbledore's eye.

"And Hagrid has his motorbike. Did he say anything else?" Dumbledore asked.

"No, nothing, he just left!" Katy was almost laughing as she felt practically hysterical.

"Katy, I must ask you to return home, you need to go home and stay home. When word gets out of what happened… the Death Eaters will not be pleased, not at all."

"Word of what happened? Professor, what happened?" Katy was confused, she couldn't think of any reason this night would be anything special.

"Another time, Katy, another time." Dumbledore said. "I dare say you will know before the end of tomorrow." Katy opened her mouth to protest but Dumbledore held up his hand and Katy didn't say anything. She nodded meekly and then she remembered that Lucie was at home. Without allowing the particular fear that was filling her to form a complete thought, she Apparated home. She went upstairs and almost starting laughing in hysterical relief to see Lucie sound asleep in her bed before going downstairs and sobbed and sobbed. Glancing at the clock she saw that it was almost midnight, Lucie would be waking up soon.

Both Katy and Lucie slept fitfully that night, Lucie woke far more often than usual and Katy's sleep was plagued with dreams of Lily and James' deaths. She woke up the next morning and it took her a few minutes to remember what had happened the previous night and a few more to remember what Sirius had turned out to be.

"Daddy?" Lucie asked after they had finished eating breakfast.

"Daddy isn't home right now, love." Katy tried to keep her voice steady.

"Where Daddy go?" Lucie asked promptly.

"He's… working." Katy didn't know how else to say what had happened, she herself had no idea where Sirius was and what he was doing, she was not going to tell her daughter that Daddy was an awful man who had deceived them. Katy spent the rest of the morning in a kind of daze; she was only interrupted to put Lucie down for her afternoon nap which took quite a long time as Sirius usually got her down for it and she didn't want Katy to. After Lucie was asleep, Katy went downstairs and turned on the Wireless.

"We've just had in a new Death Eater/Muggle encounter that was, like always, catastrophic. Previously unknown to be affiliated with You-Know-Who, Sirius Black devastated a Muggle street earlier this morning. With one curse, Black murdered twelve Muggles and fellow wizard, and old school friend, Peter Pettigrew. Black has been taken to Azkaban Prison where he will serve a life sentence. For an undisclosed reason, Pettigrew seemed to have known Black's true loyalties and tracked him down. Representatives say he made the following statement shortly before Black killed him: "Lily and James, Sirius? How could you?" We can only assume this means Black had something to do with the murder of James and Lily Potter, whose son, Harry Potter, as we all know, defeated You-Know-Who, saving the Wizarding World from the horrors of the past eleven years. …I suppose we'll have to be shutting down soon, as there won't be any more Death Eater activity for us to report on. I'll happily go into unemployment for that! Everyone here and I'm sure every witch and wizard in England says an enormous thank you to both Peter Pettigrew and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!"

Katy stood dead still. Sirius was in Azkaban, Sirius had killed Peter, Sirius had killed twelve Muggles. She had no idea what the announcer had meant by calling Harry "the Boy Who Lived" but she couldn't concentrate on that just then; in fact she couldn't concentrate on anything: Katy had the worst headache she had ever had. She could quite literally feel a red hot sword pounding on the inside of her skull. But she didn't get a chance to help her headache as her fireplace roared with green flames and Professor Dumbledore came out.

"Professor!" She said in surprise and quickly wiped the wetness out of her eyes. "Professor, what's going on? The wireless just said Sirius killed Peter and that Harry defeated You-Know-Who." She looked up at him. "Is that true?" Dumbledore nodded. Katy let out a little gasp and sunk down on the couch. Dumbledore sat down in her mother's rocking chair.

"Katy, you know there are going to be some suspicions against you now. And I have been asked to come here today by the Ministry of Magic because they want you to give them evidence of what happened." Dumbledore sighed heavily. "I have told them what I know and I think you can maybe give them more than I can."

"What did you say?" She asked quietly.

"I told them he was the Potter's secret keeper and the Fedelius Charm had been performed just a week earlier."

"Well, I don't know what I can tell them. I can tell them what I thought, but clearly I was wrong, we were all wrong. Peter knew he was the secret keeper, that much I know for sure. We all knew Sirius was the secret keeper."

"They will want to know what happened on Halloween, the whole day; you're going to be asked to retell everything."

* * *

"We spent the day at home, just the three of us," Katy began with a gulp. She was sitting in front of a large portion of the Wizengamot and retelling what had happened, just as Dumbledore had predicted. "And at about nine o'clock in the evening Sirius said he had to go and check on Peter. I put Lucie to bed and read her a story and because it was Halloween there were Muggle children going around collecting candy so I handed out candy for a while and then I realized it had been two hours since he left and he had said it would only take about ten minutes." She heard a few whispers in the crowd of people before her. "So I Apparated to where Peter was going to be hiding and it was empty so I went to Lily and James'. He had written on a paper where the house was and shown it to me, so, even under the Fedelius Charm I would still be able to see the house. But I got there and I thought I'd done wrong, because I could see the house and it was a wreck." She took a deep breath. "And Hagrid was there, he said he'd seen Sirius and that Sirius had given him his motorbike after asking if he could have Harry. Hagrid was going to deliver Harry to his aunt and uncles, where he still is now, and I went in the house and I saw…" She stopped, Katy could not say what she saw, she couldn't make her mouth form the words.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cupit, you needn't go on, I see it is far too distressing for you." Millicent Bagnold, the Minster of Magic said in a tone that was both businesslike and gentle. Katy nodded and quickly got up and hurried off to the side of the room where Dumbledore was also standing as he too had been asked to come and retell all he knew. "However, I do have one other question for you. Did it never seem odd to you that Black didn't just tell you the address? Did you know why he just showed you the written paper?"

"Sirius said the paper was Charmed so only those they intended to show it to could read it." Katy tired to regain control of her voice.

That day she had a private meeting with the minster herself. As she lay in her old bed that night – for she had quickly moved her and Lucie back to the apartment, the house they were in just wasn't home and she dearly needed a home then – she thought about all that she had been told, everything that had happened. The Minister had said the only thing they could guess was that Katy had at some point been Confunded or had her memory modified as it was unlikely that she would know nothing about what Sirius was doing with Death Eaters all the years they lived together. Katy at first hadn't believed the minister saying she thought it was unlikely Sirius would go to all the trouble of Confunding her and Modifying her memory when he could have just not married her in the first place, but it did at least provide one explanation.

"I believe he was elected to become a spy. Particularly after having been in Gryffindor, he was in a perfect position to get in with the Order of the Phoenix and being best friends with James Potter certainly helped his credibility to us." Bagnold had said. "Marrying you would also have been one of the best strategic moves he could have made." Katy had burst into tears then; she couldn't bear to think that he hadn't loved her at all, that he had only married her because it would look good for getting in with the Order. Even though Sirius had turned out to be a Death Eater, Katy had to think he had cared for her and for Lucie. She had to be allowed to tell herself she hadn't been used completely and she wasn't solely a bit of strategy. "Mrs. Cupit, is there anything else, anything that you can remember your husband doing or saying leading up to all of this that you found a bit odd?" Katy sniffed and wiped off her tears to think. Once she had thought about it, there were plenty of things that seemed odd.

"Yes…" She frowned and felt more tears welling up. How could she not have seen this coming? How could she have been so stupid? "Yes, he never wanted to tell me where he was going. The nights he went to James and Lily's. He would only admit where he was going if I asked him straight up." Bagnold raised her eyebrows and wrote down what she said. "And… well he had the secret written on a piece of paper, Charmed so only people he wanted to see it, could." Katy realized as she was talking how obvious that had been and again hated herself for not realizing in time. " And, and just a few days before… before Halloween, the day they performed the Charm, I said something about James and Lily and Harry being protected by him and when I said that…" Tears were pouring down her face, but she thought they were mostly from shame. She could have stopped it, the evidence was all there. "He wouldn't meet my eyes, he looked down."

Katy lay in bed that night and cried and cried and cried. Lucie was sleeping peacefully in the room that Sirius had painted pink. Katy felt her sadness turn to anger and she hated him, she hated him for being what he was and for being able to so fully deceive them all. She hated him for making her fall in love with him, she hated him for asking her to marry him, she hated him for marrying her, for having a child with her and mostly because she loved him, Katy loved him with all her heart and she hated, despised, him for it. She felt that anger take over and without really knowing what she was doing she marched into Lucie's room and, although she wasn't sure why it made her feel better, changed the color scheme so that it was all light purples and lavenders. She felt more satisfied when she did that and the last thing she changed was the name on the wall. She had always thought it was funny that Lucie's wall still said "Annie" on it but now she resolutely reshaped the letters into Lucie's actual name.

* * *

The next morning her raw anger had not dispelled and she went into a mad frenzy of getting rid of anything that reminded her of Sirius. She got rid of his clothes, his dresser, any books she knew he had read, the various things in the kitchen he had bought or she could remember him using, the couch in the living room, and all the pictures she had of him. For a reason she couldn't explain, she didn't actually get rid of the pictures, she just put them all in a box and stuffed it into a deep, dark corner of her closet.

"Daddy come back?" Lucie asked her that morning after sitting in the middle of the living room and watching with interest as her mother destroyed most of the things in their house and then replaced them with brand new ones.

"No!" Katy said loudly and Lucie jumped a bit. "No, sweetheart," She saw that she had scared Lucie and so made her voice softer and sat down on the floor next to her. "Daddy isn't coming back."

"Why?" Lucie frowned.

"Daddy's working, love." Katy said, repeating the lie she had told Lucie previously. Katy was going to stick with that story as it was likely enough that Lucie might actually believe it and she seemed to accept it.

"Why Daddy not coming back?" She asked. "Daddy always come back." She added with a firm nod. Katy decided not to argue.

"Well, he might come back. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Wait and see." Lucie repeated seriously. "We wait and see for Daddy."

She put Lucie down for her afternoon nap and went back into the living room. She half expected Sirius to be lounging on the couch thanking her for getting Lucie to bed this time. She slapped herself mentally when that thought went through her head; she was going to have to stop expecting to see him everywhere.

"Maybe I'll change our names." Katy muttered to herself. She knew Lucie would never have a normal childhood, and she would likely find it difficult to make friends in the magical world when they found out her father was Sirius Black. Katy cast a Disillusionment Charm over herself and grabbed the enchanted baby monitor that would tell her all she wanted to know about what was happening with Lucie. It would buzz when Lucie cried and if anyone tried to come in the house it would start beeping like crazy. Katy felt guilty about leaving for any time, but she had to see for herself, besides, Lucie always slept at least an hour and half. She turned on the spot and reappeared, though no one would have been able to see her, on Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey. She looked at the house in front of her. It had a large, brass number 5 on it. Katy turned around and saw number 4. She sank down on the curb and stared at the house. It looked just like every other house on Privet Drive. Katy sat and watched the house for a half an hour although nothing happened. She was just getting ready to leave when the front door opened and a thin, blonde woman stepped out pushing a double stroller. Knowing she was invisible, Katy leapt up and rushed across the street towards them. She ran up to the stroller. Katy was immediately outraged to see that there was a fat, blonde baby with a large pillow and more than one thick blanket and a small black haired baby that Katy immediately recognized with a very thin excuse for a sweater, no pillow and one thin blanket in the stroller. She inhaled sharply and Petunia Dursley looked around. Decided she must have imagined it, or something similar, Mrs. Dursley kept walking, Katy followed her all the way up the neighborhood park, disgusted by how Mrs. Dursley kept talking to and smiling at her son and never even gave Harry a second glance.

Suddenly Katy staggered and couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before. There was something on Harry's forehead that wasn't there before. A thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. Mrs. Dursley heard Katy gasp and stopped, looking around and then threw a suspicious glance at Harry but continued walking. When they got to the park, Mrs. Dursley took Harry out of the stroller, deposited him on the ground and turned away from him. She took her son out of the stroller and cooed over him, playing with him and following him around the park, helping him up the play structure and catching him at the bottom of the slide. Katy pulled the monitor out of her pocket. It showed her a picture of Lucie who was still sleeping soundly.

Katy quickly performed some appearance altering Charms on herself although, like always, she couldn't touch her hair, and was about to lift the Disillusionment Charm when she realized she had no excuse for the new person she had become to be at a children's park. She quickly made herself appear to be about six months pregnant and lifted the Charm.

"Hello sweetie." She came up to Harry who looked warily at her. Her heart fell when she saw him. It felt like it had been forever since she had seen him. It had been a few months and he had changed a lot. It took her a moment to understand why Harry was looking at her suspiciously, he didn't recognize her.

"Hi." He squeaked. Katy briefly thought how sad it would make James to see his son being shy, but quelled that thought immediately because it was making her cry.

"Do you have someone to play with?" She asked, bending down in front of him. He shook his head.

"Know where Mummy went?" He asked her hopefully.

"Isn't she right there?" Katy forced herself to say, pointing at Mrs. Dursley.

"No…" Harry said sadly.

"Can I play with you?" She asked kindly and he nodded, but glanced at his aunt a little nervously. "What's your name?" She wanted to be able to call him Harry but not have it seem weird.

"Harry." He responded, smiling up at her. Katy had to resist the urge to scoop him up and Apparate home with him.

"Hello Harry. My name is," She didn't want to use her real name and was completely horrified with what came out. "Lucie." Harry looked at her, cocking his head to one side, confused. He knew someone named Lucie, Katy knew that, and she really didn't need to remind Harry of the life he could no longer have.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Mrs. Dursley asked, she had her son, Katy couldn't remember the name Lily had said the Dursley's had called him, in her arms and she was glaring at Katy in a suspicious way.

"Lucie Black." Katy had no idea why Black came out and it made her shake with momentary anger. "Nice to meet you." She extended her hand in greeting, but Mrs. Dursley was having none of it.

"Do you know my nephew?" She asked in a pointed way and Katy knew she was trying to figure out if Katy was part of the magical world.

"No, never met him before." She gulped. Mrs. Dursley sniffed at her. "I was just talking to him. I come to children's parks a lot." She gestured to her stomach. "Getting ready for my first."

"And you want to play with _Harry_?" Mrs. Dursley clearly didn't think Harry was the best example of a good child.

"He was all alone; I thought I'd just talk to him. My husband thinks I'm crazy for coming here so often." Katy blushed and fought back the tears that were threatening to form.

"I haven't seen you here before. What did you say your husband's name was?" Mrs. Dursley asked and Katy was surprised that this woman who Lily so despised could make nice small talk.

"Remus." She said quickly. She felt her stomach flip. She hadn't thought about him at all since it had happened. She would have to find him.

"Remus Black?" Mrs. Dursley's eyes hardened. "I don't know who you are, but stay away from my family." She hissed. "Remus and Lucie Black? You knew my sister, I know you did, now stay away from us!"

Katy tripped in her haste to depart, tears now pouring down her face. She got around the corner and Appirated back to her house. Against her will she had to give Petunia Dursley some credit. She had been able to piece together a sort of unlikely story. Apparently she actually had read the letters Lily used to send her. Maybe she actually did listen when Lily had talked about Hogwarts to their mum.

Katy quickly wrote a letter to Remus asking how he was doing and what he was thinking about doing in the not so distant future as Katy knew none of them had a plan, it had always just been to fight You-Know-Who and Harry had apparently gotten rid of him so she had nothing to do with her life anymore. She was particularly worried about Remus as the Order of the Phoenix was about the only group of people who didn't despise Remus immediately for being a werewolf.

There was an owl perched on the balcony of the apartment when Katy went into the living room after Lucie fell asleep for the night. She opened the window and it flew in and dropped a letter and flew away. Katy shut the window and picked up the letter. Seeing the handwriting on it surprised her so much she dropped it. Hastily picking it up, she reread her own name, Mrs. Katy Cupit, over and over, taking in the handwriting and trying to convince herself it wasn't a joke. It was from Aimy; she ripped it open and began to read.

Katy,

Please don't show this letter to Remus. Please.

I shouldn't be writing this at all, I don't know if it will even get sent because my parents wouldn't let it go so if they find it, it's sure to get burned or something. I never thought I'd be living with my parents again, but I am. I suppose I have to start at the beginning, with that night over a month ago.

Obviously I knew it was full moon and when it was time for Remus to go I said goodnight and he left just like always. I read for a little while and made myself a cup of tea. I was just going to drink my tea and finish my chapter before going to bed when I heard a loud crash. I peered out the window but it was so dark I couldn't see a thing. Then I heard something louder that sounded like a wall breaking. It sounded like it was in the house, whatever it was. I panicked and grabbed my wand which was little help anyway. It was Remus, he had escaped but he was obviously still in werewolf form. I suppose he must have smelled me because he came straight at me and while I attempted to fight him off with my wand it hardly did anything. He was scratching me all over and nearly tore one of my arms off. But don't worry, I'm still completely whole. But I was losing a lot of blood and in a lot of pain as I had been repeatedly slashed at and so I Disapparated. The first place I thought of was my home as a kid because I wanted somewhere safe and I always felt safe at home as a kid.

Well, you can imagine what my parents thought when I Apparated into their living room cut up and covered in blood. They made me tell them what had happened, I hadn't previously mentioned that Remus was a werewolf as I knew they deeply disliked werewolves and it made them incredibly mad. It was actually terrifying to see my father's reaction. But they forbade me from ever seeing him again and they hardly let me out of their sight now. I'm not allowed to see any of you either, which is why this letter will be confiscated if it is found.

I just want you to know that I am safe and I don't blame Remus at all, I'm just not allowed to see him anymore. Give my love to Sirius, James, Lily, Lucie and Harry.

Aimy

Katy stared, stunned, at the letter in front of her. She didn't know what to think, what to feel. Part of her was happy to hear from Aimy, to know that Aimy was alive and well, part of her was angry that Aimy was just going along with what her parents were forcing her to do, why didn't Aimy just leave? And the last sentence "Give my love to Sirius, James, Lily, Lucie and Harry." Tears sprung into her eyes at that, she could only give Aimy's love to one of those people. Two of them were dead and one was gone at the hand of the fifth. She couldn't look at the letter anymore, she set it face down on the table and noticed a messy scrawled message on the back.

Katy I'm so sorry. I just heard what happened, it was on the wireless… Is it true? Is Sirius, is he actually, a Death Eater? And Lily and James? Katy please write me back and tell me the _Prophet_ and the wireless had it wrong!

So Aimy did know. She had already written the letter when she found out though. Katy didn't know what to do. Was she supposed to write back? What could she write? Yes, my husband is a Death Eater and he killed Peter and brought about the death of Lily and James. That seemed a bit harsh. She burst into tears just thinking about it. She took a few deep breaths and got out some parchment and a quill.

_Aimy,_

_And she sat there, with just Aimy's name written for an hour, unsure of what to write next._

_Yes, it's true. I'm sorry. I don't know how to write it. But I suppose you won't even see this letter, if you mum and dad won't let you near me they probably won't let me write letters to you. Especially now… who in their right mind would let their daughter correspond with the wife of Sirius Black?_

Katy knew she would never send the letter in this way, but it felt good to write it down.

_You need to write to Remus, tell him what happened. It's not fair to just leave him hanging like this. You don't know what he was like after you left._

_Katy felt a stab of guilt because they had all suspected Remus of being a spy._

_But you owe him an explanation, Aimy. Even if you can't ever see him again, you need to tell him why._

_Katy_

She read and reread the letter and then sent it, only remembering she hadn't been planning to send the letter about half an hour later.

A week later she hadn't received a reply to either letter and she decided to write another one to Remus, assuming Aimy's parents had taken her letter and decided not to try again. She wrote to Remus again, begging to get together and saying she needed to talk to him. She felt more tears pouring down her face as she realized he was really the last Marauder. James was dead, Peter was dead and Sirius was in Azkaban; Remus was all that was left.

"Mummy?" Lucie wandered into the kitchen, pulling one of her dolls along by its foot. "Mummy." She smiled contentedly. Katy looked down at her and smiled back. Lucie was always much happier when she could see Katy, particularly now that Sirius was gone. Lucie had been asking for Daddy a lot less that week, but Katy didn't think it was going to stay that way.

"What shall we do today, Lucie?" Katy asked, sealing her letter and putting it on the table beside the window to send later.

"Pay at park." Lucie said immediately.

"You want to go to the park, love?" Katy asked and Lucie nodded vigorously. "It's starting to get a bit cold for the park, don't you think?"

"No, Mummy, not cold, not cold." Lucie shook her head.

"Alright, we can do the park, but you have to wear a coat, and pants, no dresses outside." Katy tugged on the sleeve of the summer dress Lucie was currently wearing. Lucie frowned at her but allowed Katy to take her upstairs and put her in winter clothes.

"I walk! I walk!" Lucie protested, wriggling as hard as she could as Katy tried to deposit her in the stroller.

"Alright, you can walk, but you have to hold Mummy's hand." Katy held out her hand and Lucie clamped her small hand around one of Katy's fingers. They got up the block and then had a choice to make, Katy always went to the right and whenever Sirius took Lucie to the park, he took the left turn. There were two parks nearby and Sirius and Katy always took Lucie to different ones. Katy was turning right when Lucie pulled away from her and started walking toward the left. "Lucie where are you going, sweetie? The park is this way." Katy held out her hand for Lucie to grab onto but Lucie wasn't budging.

"Daddy park!" She said stubbornly. "Daddy park, Mummy."

"You want to go to Daddy's park?" Katy said, hoping Lucie wouldn't want to.

"Yes!" Lucie frowned at Katy. "Pease Mummy!" She got a huge grin on her face and Katy knew Lucie had won, there was no way she was going to be able to refuse now.

"Alright, let's go to Daddy's park." She turned the stroller around and pushed it forward to catch up with Lucie. "But you still have to ride or hold my hand." Lucie grabbed Katy's finger and tugged as hard as she could, which wasn't all that hard, but it still made Katy laugh and she realized it was the first time she had laughed, truly laughed, since Halloween.

"What shall we do?" She asked after parking the stroller.

"Fin' Daddy." Lucie said and tore off as fast as her legs could carry her, looking under the slide, behind benches, all around the play structure. Katy sighed, she should have known Lucie hadn't forgotten to look for Sirius and ask for Sirius, she wanted to come to the park Sirius brought her to because she thought Sirius might be there waiting for her. Katy got up and walked slowly over to where Lucie was currently investigating: the sandbox.

"Lucie, why don't we play on the slide?" Katy suggested.

"Daddy not here, Mummy." Lucie's big blue eyes were full of tears. "Daddy gone!" She wailed and ran over to Katy grabbing Katy's coat and burying her face in Katy's legs. Katy reached down and picked her up.

"Do you want to play, sweetie?" She asked softly, wiping the tears off Lucie's face.

"Want Daddy." Lucie said and more tears fell.

"Daddy's gone, Lucie."

"Daddy come back!" Lucie said loudly. "Pease, Daddy!"

"Daddy can't come back, love, I'm sorry, but it's just you and me now." She kissed the top of Lucie's head and Lucie wrapped her little arms around Katy and sobbed and sobbed saying "Daddy" over and over.

_i hope it isn't too depressing or anything... those two chapters were the hardest ones for me to write._

_PLease tell me what you think,_

_~Lily_

_I know i haven't responded to reviews or written anything special to people in a loooong time and i apologize but my free time is becomming more and more cramped so just know that i appreciate each and every one and i am about to go through and relook at the reviews and see if there are any direct questions that i am either willing or can answer. which i will._


	72. Note from me!

Hello! So this is a fake chapter... as it isn't a chapter... the next chapter will be coming soon, though! I just had laptop problems for a little while, but don't worry, the story has not been erased or anything drastic like that.

So...

dark-moon: thanks you a milliont times! reviews like that motivate me beyond belief! And I cannot even begin to describe how much i have labored over how close to Harry Lucie will be at school and when she will learn the truth about Sirius. At this point, I am trying not to change anything big in the books, because I have pretty much settled on writing a sequel about Lucie at Hogwarts, so I will be doing a lot of what is in the books, but I don't plan on having Lucie be Harry's new best friend and know everything he does.

Sky x: Mary is actually not gone for good, she will be making a reappearence in a few chapters and has an... important role.

littleandeverything: i am so glad you like it so much!!!!

jasmine: unfortunately it wouldn't work with my plan if Sirius and Katy met while he was in prison, it is important that she doesn't find out he is innocent until a certain time.

Hurrican Rachel: i am glad the bouncing back from the problems does not seem unrealistic however it is important to keep in mind. i believe everyone can only keep going for so long and eventually they break. i will warn everyone that Katy is close to breaking point right now and will, in fact, break during this story. I should perhaps also warn that when she breaks she will do something perhaps a bit drastic and i hope no one is excessively angry with me for what she does. it will change the story a lot...

lionpawheart: i am so sorry to break your heart, but i am trying to keep this as canon as i can, so, unfortunately, Sirius did have to go to Azkaban and peter got away and went to live with the weasley's and all that.

i loove suggestions! if anyone has any ideas about anything, like the sequel or anything for this one, i would love to hear your ideas! sometimes i get really frusterated when i can't figure out how to make something work and perhaps some of you can accidentily show me how to work it with suggestions! please please please! if you have anything at all, i would love to hear it!

i promise the next chapter will be soon!

pip pip !

~Lily


	73. Chapter 71

_haha so i totally put this chapter in as a document yesterday and made it all pretty and stuff and then... forgot to put it on the story for real... so thank you jasmine for asking for an update cause i was like"but i updated yesterday..." and then decided to check if i had so i guess i got distracted... sorry!_

_and a real chapter!_

_Thank you thank you to all who reviewed!!_

Chapter 71

Katy had started writing to Remus every day. He still hadn't responded but she figured he would eventually. She had barely left her house since Halloween, only a few times with Lucie and once or twice to do some shopping and get food for them to eat. It had been almost a month but the raw pain had come nowhere near being softened.

"Bird." Lucie said one afternoon. She was pointing at the window and Katy opened it to allow the owl to come in. She got the letter from it and it settled itself on the back of one of the kitchen chairs. Apparently she was supposed to respond.

_**Katy,**_

_**Frank and I were hoping you and Lucie might come to dinner tonight. I can only assume you haven't been out and with people all that much lately and it would be quite nice if you two would join us. I know Neville would enjoy seeing Lucie.**_

_**If tonight doesn't work, maybe this weekend? We'd really like to see you, I'm sure Neville and Lucie could get to be nice little friends and it's good for them to see other children their age.**_

_**Hope to see you soon!**_

_**Alice**_

_**P.S. if you can come tonight, why don't you just Floo at about seven?**_

Katy that probably Alice had spent a long time making sure she didn't say anything about Sirius but was glad she hadn't mentioned him. And dinner with Frank and Alice was just what she needed. She quickly wrote that they would love to come and they would be there at seven and sent the letter back with the owl.

"We're having dinner with Frank and Alice and Neville, alright?" She said to Lucie.

"Dinner!" Lucie seemed to have heard nothing beyond that they would in fact be eating dinner. "Hungry."

"You ready for lunch?" Katy asked and Lucie jumped up nodding. "Right, what shall we eat, dear?"

* * *

"Lucie, you don't need to wear that, it's time to go." Katy held out her hand to her little girl who was trying to force what was probably the fifth layer of clothing over herself. Lucie certainly had a love for clothing at her young age, but it wasn't anything remotely stylish that she liked to adorn herself with, Lucie liked to wear all of her clothes as often as possible and so she mixed and matched everything wearing snow pants and a sundress or a long sleeved shirt, shorts, snow boots and a summer hat. She was wrestling with a Christmas dress just then. "Lucie, you can wear that tomorrow, we need to go." Katy abandoned waiting for Lucie to finish and pulled the dress off of her head and scooped her up.

"No, Mummy, 'top, no, Mummy!" Lucie shouted and tried to get free but Katy held on tightly. "No, no, no, no!" She shouted all the way into the living room and only stopped when Katy stepped into the fireplace and the two of them began spinning in rapid circles. "Mummy bad." She frowned up at Katy when they stepped out in the living room of the Longbottom's house.

"You're bad?" Alice had appeared with Neville in her arms.

"I didn't let her wear a Christmas dress over all this." Katy said and set Lucie down on the ground.

"Unforgivable." Alice smiled and Katy found herself laughing, truly laughing, laughing with enjoyment, for the first time in a month.

"Unforgivable?" Frank came in the room.

"Yes, Katy's just an awful mother." Alice said and Frank raised his eyebrows at Katy.

"Are you? And what atrocity did you commit?"

"I'm the fashion police." She grinned. "Lucie wanted to wear a Christmas dress on top of everything else she's wearing."

"She wouldn't have been able to move!" Frank said and he laughed as well. It was true; Lucie always looked bigger than she was because of how many layers of clothing she insisted on wearing.

"She'd have found a way." Katy smiled down at her daughter. Lucie and Neville were almost playing together but both were still a bit too young to really know how to play together. Lucie had discovered a stuffed animal that brought tears into Katy eyes. It was a large black dog and Lucie had picked it up with an excited squeak when she saw it. She noticed Katy watching her and hurried over.

"Daddy." She pointed at the dog. Frank and Alice looked very confused. "Make Daddy." She held up the toy.

"Lucie, that dog isn't Daddy."

"Yes, Daddy dog. Make Daddy, Mummy!" She commanded and frowned at Katy, her little face stubborn.

"Lucie, I can't make Daddy." Then there was a loud thump which, fortunately, distracted Lucie as well. Neville had tried to climb up onto the couch and fell back and hit his head. Lucie dropped the dog and bounced over to investigate the screaming child on the floor. Alice hurried over and scooped him up and he calmed down after a while. Katy quickly stuck the black dog on top of a high bookshelf where Lucie would be unable to see it.

* * *

"Katy," Alice began with a deep breath. Both babies were sleeping in a little play pen like crib that was very squishy. By Alice's tone Katy guessed they had arrived the topic she most wanted to keep far away from. "Katy, how are you?"

"Fine, we're just fine." She said quickly. "Lucie's doing great."

"That's not what I meant, Katy." Alice frowned.

"I know." Katy sighed. "I'm okay, I suppose. I guess considering everything that's happening, I'm doing pretty well." Katy was trying to block out the memories of the funerals she had attended for James, Lily, and Peter. They had been the most painful experiences of her life; Lucie had been very worried about her mother and spent a long portion of the funerals looking for Sirius because Lucie thought that he would make Katy feel better.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alice looked very worried. Katy didn't really want to answer that question as she didn't want to lie but if she attempted to explain how she felt she would cry an ocean.

"Yes, I'm fine." Her voice was unnaturally high. Alice looked like she didn't know what else to ask as it was obvious Katy wasn't budging from her stance of being just fine. "Where's Frank?" She asked in order to change the topic.

"He's in bed, said he was tired." Alice said. Katy sighed, she had a feeling her topic change wouldn't last. "Honestly, Katy, can we help you at all? You always look like your just keeping yourself from crying." Katy couldn't argue with that, she couldn't do anything because someone pointing out that fact to her made it impossible to continue and she burst into tears. Alice didn't seem remotely surprised. She cast a very quick Charm over the babies so they wouldn't hear and Conjured a box of tissues.

Katy woke up the next morning on the couch in Frank and Alice's house. She was covered with blankets and someone had stuffed a pillow under her head. She had woken up because she stopped being covered in blankets, Lucie had seized them all and ripped them off of her, causing her to sit up quickly and look around for what woke her up. Lucie was standing next to her, giggling like mad. Katy smiled at her and bend over and pulled her up onto the couch with her, kissing her good morning. Alice came in with Neville a few moments later.

"Did she wake you up? I'm sorry, I told her to let you sleep but she didn't want to." Alice asked.

"It's just fine." Katy smiled and kissed Lucie's head again.

They spent the rest of the day with Alice and Frank and Neville and Katy went home feeling more relaxed and happier than she had in a long time.

* * *

Christmas would have been a very sad affair without Frank, Alice and Neville Longbottom. They were quickly becoming the only reasons Katy wasn't in constant despair. Frank and Alice invited her and Lucie to sleep at their house on Christmas Eve so that they wouldn't be alone on Christmas morning and together the five of them opened the enormous number of presents that had been bought for Lucie and Neville though Lucie and Neville were far more interested in playing with the wrapping paper. Katy spent the week after Christmas with her father and brother, who both loved to see Lucie, it had been a while since she had last seen them and Lucie had changed a lot in that time.

Frank and Alice had both spent the previous years, as well as being in the Order of the Phoenix, in Auror training classes and so there were many days when Katy, who had no job and nothing to do during the day, would take Neville for the day although there were plenty of days where Frank's mother would look after him. However, Mrs. Longbottom never wanted to share responsibility for her grandson with Katy as she didn't like Katy one bit. Katy could only assume this was because of Sirius, but Mrs. Longbottom didn't trust her at all and didn't think Neville should ever be left in her sole care; she seemed to think Katy shouldn't be allowed near her grandson, though Alice told Katy she never outright gave a reason.

Lucie decided she loved snow. Adored it. She wanted to be out in the snow as much as she possibly could and Katy obliged happily. It provided a distraction, purposefully making as much of her show as possible so that Lucie could lob microscopic snow balls at her from about a foot away and be sure to hit her.

Katy and Lucie went to see Frank and Alice almost every day and the days they didn't were spent in the snow outside together. And then, one morning in early March as Katy looked outside and noticed how much less snow there was, she realized how long it had been since Halloween and she realized that she had been thinking about it a lot less and actually been feeling rather normal and happy because she had been busy and out doing things. In the first month after it all had happened, Katy had done nothing more than sit and home and cry and feel awful all the time but once she allowed herself to get her life back, she felt better and she hadn't even realized it.

Katy woke up crying on the twenty seventh of March and she wasn't sure why. It took her a moment to remember that she had been having a dream about the birthday party she had tried to throw for James when they were six. She had wanted to make it a surprise, but she had failed miserably and the whole thing had been a royal disaster, though it had caused a certain amount of amusement amongst the adults. Katy hadn't thought to invite anyone else, and yet she had tried to plan a massive party, a massive party for two people because she had informed the parents that it was a kids only party but she didn't want Lucie because Lucie was still annoying at that time.

Katy was a bit shaken, she couldn't think why she had remembered that, it had been almost twenty years since it happened and she was sure if someone had asked her the day before about how James' birthday when they were six had been celebrated, she wouldn't have remembered. But glancing at the calendar provided her with an answer that broke her heart. March twenty seventh was James' birthday. He should have been turning twenty two that day. Thinking that was immensely sad. James Potter would never get to be twenty two. About thirty seconds later, Alice came tumbling out of the fireplace looking worried. Alice had a strange knack for showing up when Katy felt awful and Katy suspected Alice had just realized that it was James' birthday as well because she went and got Lucie and, deaf to Katy's protests, dragged them all back into the fireplace and had a frighteningly busy day immediately planned for them so that when Katy finally did get home that night she was so exhausted that she fell asleep immediately.

If Lucie had liked snow, it was nothing to how much she decided she liked puddles. Katy bought her a large pair of rain boots and a long rain coat and rain hat so that she was completely covered and then the two of them would walk up and down the street while Lucie jumped in every puddle they passed. Lucie's puddle jumping campaign continued all through April and well into May. And in May, for the second time in her life, a birthday made Katy terribly sad, but this time it was not James birthday, but hers. Katy resented the fact that she was twenty two when James, Lily and Peter would never be twenty two years old because Sirius had killed them all …Sirius, if Katy had ever hated anyone, it was Sirius, all the negative feelings she had ever felt in her life seemed to be concentrated on Sirius Black and deep down Katy knew that was because she was still in love with him, or at least with the Sirius Black she had known. She missed him; she missed the person she had thought he was, almost every day. She missed the way he could make her laugh all the time. But on her birthday, after she got home from the party Alice had planned for her, Katy told herself that she had to stop thinking about Sirius and she had to stop loving him because he was a Death Eater and he had killed her best friends. Katy told herself that she would never say his name again and she wouldn't think about him anymore and just to start that plan she pulled out a book and read before going to sleep.

Her plan didn't work. Her brain was working against her. It was probably because she had decided not to think about him anymore, but she dreamt about him all night, about various things the two of them had done together, from when they first met to the last time she saw him. She spent the morning very determinedly directing all her attention at Lucie who seemed excessively pleased with having her mother's full and undivided attention.

_So I'm sorry for the longish update time and for then updating with a chapter in which like nothing happened, but I needed time to pass and nothing was happening for Katy. I promise the next chapter is more exciting and will have more action in it._

_I love getting reviews! They really do make writing easier! _

_~Lily_


	74. Chapter 72

_Wow.. sorry for the long update time... life had a few major changes in it these past few weeks, but don't worry, I am still writing!! In fact, I am a few chapters ahead, but I will not be publishing like five at once cause I have to look over it all again and make sure it is what I want, I have already changed the next couple of chapters like nine times. _

_And now for the question I have for all yall lovely readers. I have so muh "extra" written for this story, like so many other versions of scenes and particularly about Lucie in my sequel that i am now definitely going to do. She was born on Sept. this point I mostly have her in the grade below Harry and Co. cause I am pretty sure the cutoff is before sept. 1st, but does anyone know for sure? I also have multiple drafts where she is in their grade but I am sort of leaning toward herbeing in thegrade below cause I am that big a fan of stories where it is like someone creates a golden quartet and then makes it so that their new character is the key to everything, I really am trying to keep this as canon as i can, even though my character is made up.... =). really the only thing that i am fighting with about whether Lucie is in the same grade as Harry or Ginny is because of Sirius, and when she will learn the truth about him. PLease give me your ideas!!!!_

_Thank you soooo soosooo so much to everyone who reviewed!!!_

_Here comes a bit of action, just like I promised!_

Chapter 72

In June, Katy opened the _Daily Prophet_ to see a headline that filled her with dread. Two Death Eaters had been caught and happily confessed that they had continued what You-Know-Who had started. Katy was afraid there were more like those two, she was sure there were more like those two. She hadn't been keeping up with what was going on, she had barely read the newspaper in months. Along with the _Daily Prophet_, Frank and Alice were reporting more and more captures of Death Eaters and, though it made Katy less pleased to hear, continuous attacks by Death Eaters reluctant to give up the cause.

She was continuing her fruitless letter writing to Remus, who remained silent. The letters had stopped begging him to come back, now she just described everything she was doing and things about Lucie because, though she had no idea if he was reading them or not, somehow it was a comfort to be able to tell him about her life.

In mid June, she received a letter that greatly surprised her. For the second time in her life, she didn't believe her eyes when she saw Aimy's handwriting.

**Dear Katy,**

**I hope you and Lucie are doing alright by now. I can't begin to say how sorry I am that it took me this long to write but I've really only just gotten away from my parents again.**

**I've seen Mary quite a bit now; I got a job at the _Daily Prophet_ so I see her most days at work. Are you working?**

**Now that I am free to do what I please, would you like to meet somewhere? I'd love to be able to see both you and Lucie and maybe we could meet with Mary sometime too?**

**Do you still live in the apartment you had before?**

**Love,  
Aimy**

Katy stared at the paper. Aimy's letter was so very different than the last one she had read. Aimy wasn't apparently still living with her parents, she was no longer forbidden from seeing Katy but Katy was scared. The last time she had seen Aimy, they had all been happy friends, James and Lily had still been alive and none of them had known what Sirius was. Katy sat down and started to write back.

_Dear Aimy,_

_Lucie and I are doing fine, how are you?_

_So you're back on your own? Good! I can't believe your parents wanted you to stay with them and never leave their sight!_

_Having lunch somewhere would be great, and do say hello to Mary for me!_

_Shall we meet somewhere in Diagon Alley or is there somewhere else you know of? It's been ages since I've gone out to eat anywhere._

_Love, Katy_

She reread what she had wrote, it was nothing brilliant but it worked so she mailed the letter with the owl that had brought the letter from Aimy.

* * *

A week into July, Katy was taking Lucie with her to meet Aimy and Mary for lunch. They were going to a little diner in Muggle London that Mary said was delicious. Katy and Lucie arrived first, Katy told the waitress they needed a table for three adults and a baby. The waitress didn't seem to keen to help and after directing Katy to a table she indicated the baby seats and shuffled off. Katy sighed and stood up to bring one over, contemplating for a moment Conjuring one that wouldn't be filthy with all the germs of other children but as she had asked for one, it would be a bit odd if she suddenly had one, and she could clean it off using magic.

After getting the high-chair properly cleaned, Katy set Lucie down in it and handed her a little plastic cup of juice. As Lucie sipped noisily on her juice, Katy picked up the menu. She was just looking at the different kinds of soups when there was a shout of fear from outside. Everyone in the diner looked up, and Katy saw both Mary and Aimy standing there and, to Katy's horror, what looked like a couple of Death Eaters who hadn't been caught. There were three Death Eaters and just Aimy and Mary so Katy stood up and sprinted out of the diner but she was too late, just as she burst out the door, she saw two of the men cast their spells and the last two people left from her school years fell swiftly to ground and did not get up again.

Anger and rage contorted themselves in her mind, how dare they steal the last two people left to her? Even though she hadn't seen Aimy or Mary much, just knowing that two of them were still alive and perfectly happy had been excessively comforting this year and now they were dead, killed mere feet from her. Muggles in the street and in the diner were starting to scream, they had seen what had happened, but at the same time they didn't have any idea what had happened.

The Death Eaters turned their wands at Katy, Katy thought they weren't sure if she was a Muggle or not because they didn't immediately cast any curses. It occurred to her that these people might well have been friends with Sirius and that thought snapped her. Her head was pounding as she tried to decide what to do but at that moment ten loud cracks sounded in the air and then there were ten Aurors in the middle of the street, Katy saw Frank and one of the Death Eaters opened his mouth to curse her but she bolted out of the way. His curse shattered the glass window of the diner and the diners began to pour out of it screaming and crying in fear. Katy felt a sharp pain across her arm, the part of her still in the direction of the Death Eaters and looked down, shouting in pain, to see a lot of blood and a long cut all down her arm. Probably from seeing and hearing her mother get hurt, Lucie began to cry and Katy remembered with horror that Lucie was still in that stupid high chair. She turned around to see one of the Aurors falling as a jet of green light shot from the wand of the largest Death Eater but at that moment a different Auror Stunned one of the other two. The third had been the one to hex Katy and he looked ready to again. Katy instinctively put a Shield Charm around her and then the Death Eater noticed his Stunned companion and turned angry attention to the Aurors and, using his distraction to her advantage, Katy clamored over the glass and knocked over tables and chairs to a howling Lucie. As soon as she had grabbed hold of Lucie, she Appirated. She Appirated to Frank and Alice's house, thinking Alice would likely want to know what was going on and Katy didn't want to be alone.

Katy Appirated into the living room with a loud crack and hear Alice shouting down the stairs as she hurried to join her in the living room.

"Frank! Is that you? What happened?" She said and she came into the living room and gasped at the sight of Katy standing there with tears pouring down her face, covered in blood. "Oh my God, Katy, are you alright?" She whisked Lucie out of Katy's arms and took hold of her arm, pulling her into the little room in which Alice kept her various potions and ingredients. She asked Katy hold her arm still and tell her what happened.

"I don't know how they found out, or what was going on, it can't have been pure chance. I was going to have lunch with… Mary and Aimy…" Her voice cracked as she said their names, they couldn't be dead, they just couldn't. "And we were meeting at a little diner in Muggle London. I got there with Lucie and was just looking over the menu when I heard someone scream, we all did and everyone who was eating looked up and Mary and Aimy where there and three Death Eaters as well. I ran outside and just as I got out…" she broke off again. "When I got out… they…. The Death Eaters, they ki… killed them!" She began to sob, to truly sob and Alice had a few tears rolling down her own cheek as she cleaned Katy's wound and muttered various spells at it. "Then a bunch of Aurors showed up and the Death Eaters killed one of them as well, not Frank," She added quickly. "It wasn't someone I know, and one of the Aurors Stunned the Death Eater who did that and at that time I got away from them and grabbed Lucie and came here, I didn't know what else to do, I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore."

"Don't be sorry at all!" Alice instructed her as firmly as she could, wiping off her eyes. "There, you're mostly better." She indicated Katy's arm which had a long thin scar running down the length of it. "I don't know how quickly that will go away, sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Katy said and then almost grinned at how they were each chastising the other for apologizing. "You've made it a hundred times better."

Katy stayed with Alice the rest of the afternoon until finally Frank came home. He told them that two more Aurors had been killed and one of the Death Eaters had been killed and the other two Death Eaters were on their way to Azkaban.

That night as she fell asleep, Katy imagined every little noise to be Death Eaters coming to get her and Lucie, she even brought Lucie in to sleep with her because every time she heard any footsteps in the hall or on the stairs or a car pass outside she would run into Lucie's room to make sure she was okay.

_Apologies for the short chapter... and apologies if what happened made you lot angry with me, I really am killing a lot of people... huh..? Please review! As I said before, the story is going to change a lot in a few chapters because of something Katy will do soon (that has to do with this, but not only this), but please stick with me!_

~Lily

_Until next time! and again, please review and give me your thoughts on what i asked at the beginning of this chapter!!_


	75. A slight delay

Hey guys!

So I am having a petite problem, I cannot find my flash drive! And I don't have internet on my laptop, which has the story on it, so i don't know how soon i will be able to update... If anyone has ane ideas about another method of transfering data, I would love to hear it.

I have been writing up a storm and am only a few chapters away from finishing this story and already have a good amount of stuff for Lucie's story written. however, i don't have that much written in order for Lucie's story so it will not be published right away, I'd like to have written a few chapters first, I have the first chapter but not much after that, so bear with me on that one.

So yeah, sorry for the lack of updating and now for breaking the news about a continued lack of updating... although I need a flash drive for more than just fanfiction, so I am thinking of just living it up and buying a new one.

Thanks and sorry!

Lily


	76. Chapter 73

_Now please accept my most humble apologies! I have just bought a new flash drive and am backin business. But don't worry, i kept busy and have written more than one or two chapters which I hope to be updating with rather quickly!_

_So I'm guessing none of you want a long thing from me just now, and here we go..._

Chapter 73

Katy was starting to resent birthdays. It was July thirty-first. She should have been helping Lily and James celebrate Harry's second birthday but thanks to Sirius, that wasn't going to happen. The previous day there had been a little party for Neville at Frank and Alice's which Katy and Lucie had gone to. Mrs. Longbottom had been there and she continued to show signs of great dislike of Katy that Katy didn't think were altogether reasonable.

She had now been to five funerals in one year and she had hated going to everyone. Aimy's parents seemed to think it was in some way her fault, they had forbade Aimy from seeing her and Aimy had been just fine, then Aimy was on her way to see Katy and was murdered. Mary's parents were completely sweet to Katy and Mrs. Macdonald kept shaking her head in shock about how Katy could possible still be able to live normally after having to watch two of her friends be killed. Indeed, after being asked the question, Katy wasn't sure why she could still live and she did want to go home and crawl into bed and never get out.

On the morning of Harry's birthday, Katy dropped Lucie off at Frank and Alice's and Appirated to Godric's Hollow. She hadn't been there since the funerals for Lily and James but somehow she felt she had to on their son's birthday.

"He's two today," She murmured quietly when she got to the graves. "Harry's turning two." She didn't know what else she could say or do. She just sat on the grass in front of the graves for the rest of the morning and about noon she wiped off her face and stood up. Glancing around to make sure no Muggles were watching, but the graveyard was deserted, Katy Conjured a bunch or flowers which she lay carefully on the two graves. She stood up and walked out of the little graveyard and through the town square.

She stopped in front of the war memorial, waiting for it to change. She had to see their faces, she had to see their family together, a happy family. And there they were, smiling in happy, but frozen, smiles of stone down at her. More tears welled up in her eyes and she brushed them away impatiently, turning away from the statue and walking down the road toward the house they used to live in.

Katy had been told that it was going to be left in its current state of ruin as a symbol but she hadn't yet been to see it. Katy was surprised to see quite a few other people at the house. She approached but didn't say anything. She was again surprised to see that all these witches and wizards were leaving bouquets of flowers all along the little fence. She asked the wizard nearest her what was going on, she didn't think the Potter's house was somewhere most people spent their afternoons.

"We've all come to wish Harry Potter a happy birthday." The wizard replied gravely. "It's his first birthday without his parents and since none of us know where he is now, we've all come to his old house." Katy beamed at the man, it was so sweet, so lovely of all of them, Lily and James would have loved to know the people were doing this. Katy Conjured up her second bunch of flowers and put it down next to what looked like at least twenty other bouquets. She hurried back to the graveyard.

"There are people here to wish Harry a happy birthday, they've come from all over and they're leaving flowers because Harry has to celebrate his birthday without you two. I think that's perfectly lovely of all of them and I thought you just had to know." Tears were forming in her eyes again but she didn't want to leave. She had to go back to the Potters but she wanted to be there alone. As dusk fell, Katy did finally rise and walk back to the Potter's house where she was pleased to see all the birthday wishers had gone. Instead of stopping at the gate like most people, Katy crept up the front walk and into the house. She didn't know why she was going in, her heart was thumping in her chest and she was terrified and almost excited at the same time. She glanced in fear at the part of the floor where she had seen James' body lying on the previous Halloween.

His wand was still there, they had not moved it, she wondered why and stood in front of the table staring at it for ages. Eventually, although she pulled her hand back many times before, she reached down and picked the wand up. She knew there was no way it was still warm, but it felt warm to her touch. It was a part of her friend, a part of James and it felt nice to touch it, to hold something he had held so many times. Katy remembered how she had felt the same thing with her mother's wand when she was murdered.

Still keeping a firm grip on James' wand, Katy, though she could hardly tell why she was doing it, quietly walked up the stairs. She went to the hole in the house. Looking at it again made a lump rise quickly in her throat. On the night Lily and James had been killed, Katy had come in this room but she hadn't paid any attention to what the room itself looked like. Not what she looked more carefully, she saw that there was a chair and quite a few boxes thrown in a slightly random way around the room. She wondered why they were there, usually they were piled in an orderly way in the closet and only the door of the closet was smashed, the things inside it were mostly okay so it didn't seem reasonable for those boxes to be out where they were but Katy couldn't figure out any reason for them to be there.

She turned and walked down the hall, she couldn't stay in the room where Lily had taken her final breath. She opened the door she knew led to the bathroom, glancing in the mirror she saw her face was covered with tears. Harry's baby shampoo and bath toys were still in the bathtub. Lily and James' shampoo were both still in there as well. Finally Katy entered Lily and James' bedroom, again feeling how she had when her mother had died and she had gone back to her own house.

And there was Lily's wand; again, no one had moved it. Katy ran to it and, like James, she thought it felt warm in her hand. Lily's wand was also like a part of Lily to Katy and Katy grasped it like a lifeline.

She sat in the room for another half an hour, crying quietly before she went out the front door and down the walk to Apparate back to Frank and Alice's to pick up Lucie.

At home that night she sat in her bed with Lucie sleeping next to her, she had starting sleeping with Lucie every night because otherwise she worried far too much, and looked at the two wands. She wasn't sure she should have taken them, perhaps they ought to have stayed in the house, but she liked to hold them, they felt friendly. They felt like Lily and James waving to her from somewhere far away and she knew that, whether or not she thought she should have taken them, they weren't going back.

* * *

Halfway through August was when Alice starting asking Katy questions about how she wanted to celebrate Lucie's second birthday and Katy couldn't help but feeling excessively grateful for Frank and Alice because the two of them provided the only structure and motivation in her life. Alice was always planning things so that Katy wouldn't be able to sit by herself at home and feel sorry for herself. And Katy really did enjoy being with Frank, Alice and Neville and it made her happy to see how happy Lucie was playing with Neville. She had even stopped asking for Daddy very often. Every once in a while she would still say something about him, but it was hardly ever wanting to know where he was.

By the end of August, Alice had an entire party planned for Lucie and Katy was grateful again that she hardly had to think about it all, just smile and nod whenever Alice asked her opinion on something they ought to do. But the day before the party was a hard one for Katy. She spent the entire day remembering how she had felt so worried all day two years previously and how her sister had died that evening two years ago. On that day Lucie's name made her sad for the first time.

The party ended up being rather more extravagant that Katy had expected. She suspected that Alice had pulled every string she could so that Katy would have no time to think about the fact that Sirius was not there and would never be there for Lucie's birthday again. Alice had apparently contacted everyone she knew with a child between the ages of just a few days and five because there were at least thirty toddlers all running around covered in cake and ice cream. Lucie didn't really know what a birthday was but she had grasped that all this commotion was centered around her and presided over the affair like a little princess.

_Sorry that was short... but I'm going to put up two chapters in a row as you guys are such good readers and have put up with so much crap from me not updating much this year!_

_Please review!_

_~Lily_


	77. Chapter 74

_Okay this one is also short... but a lot will happen. remember how I said that people can only bend so far before they break and katy is going to break soon? keep that in mind._

Chapter 74

Katy opened the _Daily Prophet_ one morning in early September and had her worst nightmare come true. There were two pictures on the front page. One showed four arrested Death Eaters, Bellatrix and Redolphus Lestrange, something that made Katy exceptionally happy, someone Katy didn't recognize and Barty Crouch Jr., no one had known he was a Death Eater, Katy was shocked and a little confused. Barty Crouch Sr. was the one who had been sending Death Eaters to jail as if there was no tomorrow, he had been the one to send Sirius to Azkaban, how was his son a Death Eater? But underneath that picture was a picture of Frank and Alice Longbottom and a caption that tore at every fiber of Katy's being.

**Ministry Aurors Tortured to Insanity by Death Eaters**

Last night two well known Aurors, Frank and Alice Longbottom,  
were attacked at home and tortured into insanity by  
Bellatrix and Redolphus Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr.  
Whether this was merely to show the Death Eaters  
who remain not captured are still at large or there was some information  
the Death Eaters wanted out the Longbottoms in unknown.  
The Longbottoms have been moved to St. Mungo's and their attackers  
all arrested and sent to Azkaban Prison. The Longbottom's  
young son was unharmed as he was not present at the Longbottom's  
house at the time of the attack.

A tear hit the newspaper as Katy pushed it away. The rest of the article listed the various crimes of the two Lestranges and talked about what a shock it was for poor Mr. Crouch that his son was a Death Eater.

"Mummy!" Katy heard Lucie shouting from the bedroom. Apparently she had woken up. Not even bothering to try and brush the river of tears flowing down her face, Katy got up and walked into her bedroom where Lucie was sitting up on the bed, though she couldn't get out because of a few Charms Katy had starting putting round the bed. "Mummy sad." Lucie frowned in concern when she saw Katy's tears. Katy pulled Lucie close to her and hugged her tightly tears pouring off her cheeks and onto the top of Lucie's head, wetting her bright blonde curls. "Mummy, Mummy." Lucie patted the top of Katy's head. "Mummy, stop!" Lucie said loudly and rapped Katy smartly over the head for Katy had begun to shake as she clung to Lucie. Lucie was the only person left for her. She couldn't let go of her ever again. Katy was shuddering and gasping as she tried to breathe and it scared Lucie enough that she too, began to cry. She burst into tears and both tried to wriggle closer to Katy and get away as she was still scared of what was going on.

Finally Katy stood up and, grabbing tightly on Lucie, Appirated to the front walk of Frank's mother. Katy was assuming the Neville was with her and would probably be living with her from then on. Katy knew that Mrs. Longbottom didn't like her much, but hoped she would be able to set aside their differences at least a little. She walked up the path and rang the doorbell.

"Good morning," Mrs. Longbottom said as she opened the door with Neville in her arms. However her expression hardened when she saw Katy. Even without the look of pure loathing that terrified Katy, Mrs. Longbottom was pale and looked as though she too, had been crying copiously. "And what do you want?"

"I wanted to see you, and Neville, if there is any way I can help. Mrs. Longbottom, I'm so sorry! I just read in the newspaper…" She trailed off and Mrs. Longbottom cut across before she had a chance to say anything else.

"I think you've helped quite enough, thank you." She said tartly and glared at Katy who was confused. "Are you aware, Mrs. Cupit, who attacked my son and his wife?"

"Yes, I am." Katy didn't understand.

"As you seem to have forgotten, though you are no doubt aware, Bellatrix Lestrange is the cousin if _your_ husband. You do not need to do anymore for this family, thank you very much." She sounded as if she wanted to be shouting and a new lump rose in Katy's throat. She had not thought of that. "Neville, no!" Mrs. Longbottom scolded her grandson who was leaning forward towards Lucie, both children had squealed happily when they saw each other.

Katy opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a sob and when Mrs. Longbottom's expression didn't change at all, she turned and ran as fast as she could with Lucie giggling merrily. She ran down the street and found herself in front of a children's park. She stopped and dumped Lucie down and let her toddle off into the sandbox and Katy cried. Mrs. Longbottom was right, she had helped enough. She had helped everyone in her life plenty. It was all, all of it, her fault. If she hadn't been stupid enough to fall in love with Sirius Black and marry him, maybe Lily and James would have lost contact with him and then he never would have been their secret keeper and then Lily, James and Peter would all still be alive and they would still be friends with Remus. And now Sirius' cousin had attacked Frank and Alice.

Katy pulled her wand out of her pocket and examined it, wanting to snap it in two. It was all because of magic, without magic none of this could have happened. She wanted to leave the park. She wanted to go home so she scooped up Lucie and Apparated them both home. Once home, she set her wand in the drawer next to her bed. She didn't like to have that thing to make magic with. She didn't like it all.

"Mummy, I'm hungry!" Lucie tugged at her arm that afternoon and Katy realized they had not had breakfast.

"I'm so sorry, dear, I forgot…" Katy smiled sadly at Lucie and stood up to get some food ready. It took her much longer than usual to warm up some pasta for Lucie because she tried it the Muggle way, she put water in a pot and boiled it on the stove. Lucie stared disbelievingly at her all the while, clearly confused as to why it was taking this long. "No, Lucie, no magic." Katy frowned when she saw Lucie staring. "No more magic." She added to herself.

By the end of that week, Katy informed the owner of her apartment that she intended to move and began to pack up all of their things. She was going to start again, get away from all of the people and things that had been in her life so far. She was going to stop writing to Remus every day, which she had continued to do all year and she was going to drop contact with everyone she knew.

Because Katy hated magic. Magic was the reason for all of the bad things and she didn't want anything to do with it. Deep down, Katy knew that she was afraid magic would take Lucie away from her and she couldn't deal with that. She couldn't live through that. Katy had resolved to never use magic again, never even think about magic again, she wanted magic and all it could do and all it had done, out of her life. She went to Gringotts and took all her money out of her vault and changed it all to Muggle money. She was going to escape from magic and while some may have said she was being cowardly, she didn't care, to hell with what being a Gryffindor was supposed to mean, she was running away.

_Do you hate me...? Please please please please review and tell me what you think!!!_

_Lily_


	78. Chapter 75

_

* * *

_

So because I got some reviews in just one day and they made me feel happyinside, i am posting this chapter earlier than i intended to.

_Lionpawheart: well i suppose i am happy and sad that it is tearing at your heart. that means i am not a crap writer but i apologize for causing anyone pain... and i can promise right here the ending will not be tragic. i hope no one thinks i have ruined the story..._

_gcant2: yes, silly neville's grandmother indeed. i'm sorry, but it is essential that Katy believe Sirius did it. She will find out in her own good time. in the sequal._

_onto the story!_

Chapter 75

Katy had no idea how Muggles managed. She had already burned herself on the stove, created a small lightening storm in the microwave and filled the living room with smoke attempting to light a fire. And she had only been in her new house for a few days.

Most of her days were spent in tears and she cried herself to sleep every night. Lucie was continuing to sleep in her bed with her because she didn't want to be alone.

Katy had bought a house in a small town with no magical families in it and moved there with Lucie as soon as September was over and her contract at King's Court was finished. She cut off her subscription to the _Daily Prophet_ and started getting the local Muggle paper in her new town. She kept mostly to herself, keeping Lucie with her at all times, but one evening, about a week after she moved in, someone knocked on her door.

"Hello," Said the woman standing on the porch with who Katy assumed were her two sons. "I'm Ellen Peters, we live just up the road and thought we'd come and welcome you to the neighborhood as you haven't seemed to be out much and I thought perhaps you were a bit lonely." But this wasn't what Katy wanted, she wanted to be left alone, everyone she grew to care for had something terrible happen to them and the Peters family seemed perfectly nice so why should she inflict something terrible upon them? But she had run away from all that maybe it was okay.

"Mummy," Lucie came up before Katy had a chance to say anything. "Hi." She said softly when she saw the three people on the porch and hid behind Katy, peeking at them from between her legs.

"Hi," Ellen Peters said to Lucie and then smiled at Katy. "How old is she?"

"Two a month ago. Lucie come and say a proper hello." Katy turned around and lifted Lucie up, turning back to face the Peters. "And my name is Katy Cupit."

"Cupid? How sweet!"

"Cupit, with a 't', actually." Katy grinned for what felt like the first time in weeks. Muggles always got her name wrong. But then she hit herself mentally, she was going to be a Muggle now, she would have to forget about magic and everything the past 22 years had been for her.

"I'm so sorry, well it's lovely to meet you," Katy saw Ellen look down at her left hand quickly. "Miss Cupit." For Katy had taken off her rings and locked them up in the attic with all the magical things she had.

"Mrs., actually." She said out of habit and then cursed herself inwardly. Now she would have to explain something. Ellen looked questioningly at her and before she had time to say anything, Katy said the first thing that came to mind. "My husband passed away." Ellen looked up, a bit red in the face, obviously she had been about to ask after Katy's husband.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs. Cupit." There was an awkward pause which Katy tried to interrupt.

"I don't believe I caught your son's names." She said, looking at Ellen.

"Alex and Michael." Ellen said, pointing at the taller for Alex and the shorter for Michael. Katy would have guessed they were about ten and eight. "We would like to invite you and your daughter as well to our house for dinner on Friday if you would like."

Although part of Katy still wanted to push these people away so she didn't infect them with her jinx, she said, "That would be lovely, thank you."

* * *

The next few days were just as hard as the first week. She had no idea how to work any of the things in her new house and she was so desperately lonely, so isolated, so completely devastated, that she didn't have the energy to work hard to find out how any of the things in her new house worked.

"So what do you do?" Ellen asked as they were eating dinner.

"When?" Katy frowned. She did plenty, how was she supposed to know what that meant?

"For your job," Ellen smiled. "What do you do for work? Alex would you bring out a pitcher of water?" She called over her shoulder as Alex went into the kitchen.

"Oh," Katy said slowly, coming up with an answer. "I don't work, my husband always worked, but I stayed home with Lucie." She sighed as a new realization hit her. "I suppose I'll have to get a job now."

"I suppose so," Ellen sounded like she wasn't sure how to continue with the topic since Katy had mentioned her husband. "Well what are you interested in?"

"I don't know, really, I've never really thought about what job I'd like to do."

"Not even as a kid?" Alex asked.

"Well, sure, when I was a kid, but then my plan was to be a princess or something similar like that. A dream which I've given up on at this point. But I never thought seriously about what I wanted to do." And it was true, once she had been old enough to really be serious about thinking about her future, she had known she wanted to fight You-Know-Who but that was about it. And the other jobs she had thought a bit about didn't exist in the Muggle world. "I suppose I'll just find something that doesn't require a lot, just to keep me going." Katy had no idea how long the money she had taken out would last. She didn't know how much things cost in the Muggle world so didn't know if she now had a lot of money or just a little.

"Well, my younger brother is going to open a little book shop in town next month, he's just finishing the renovations and he needs to start hiring soon, maybe I could take you down there and you could work there. I know it's not much, but at least to help you keep everything together until you figure out what you're going to do." Ellen smiled.

"That's lovely of you, thanks." Katy smiled. Muggles were so nice. Then, again, she had to glare inwardly at herself. Muggles and magic didn't exist for her anymore. She was driving them out of her life.

* * *

A week later, Katy found herself being driven into town by Ellen after having left Lucie with Mr. Peters and the two boys.

"Hello?" Ellen shouted when they entered the shop. It looked to Katy like it didn't need very many more renovations, but maybe all he still needed to do was bring the books.

"I'm back here!" Called a voice and Ellen brought Katy into a back storeroom that was filled to the brim with stacks and stacks of books. "Morning, Ellen!" The man sitting in the middle of the books looked up with a smile. He had light brown hair and blue eyes that looked very ready to laugh. He grinned at his sister and Katy.

"Katy Cupit, this is my brother, James Potter." Ellen said and Katy's entire body seized up. A lump formed in her throat and she felt tears in her eyes.

"What's your name?" She asked and her voice was barely above a whisper.

"James Peters." He said and held out his hand cautiously to shake hers. She laughed out loud with relief. She had just heard wrong. He was not called James Potter.

"Lovely to meet you." She smiled at him and he looked even more confused than ever.

"So, Ellen tells me you'd like a job?" He looked at his sister for confirmation. She nodded.

"Yes, she said she hasn't got an idea of what she's going to do now, and I thought this might be a good place to start." Katy wondered how much of her story Ellen had told her brother. Based on the look passing between the two of them, Katy thought Ellen had shared all she knew.

"Well, as long as you can show people where to find books and ring up the bill at the register, you're hired." Katy wondered if the fact that he thought her husband had just died and she had never worked a day in her life was helping him be ready to hire her and not make her go through lots of painful interviews and applications.

"Well, I've never used a cash register before." Katy said.

"Not a problem, they're very easy, but I can show you another time. Why don't you come back in a week on Thursday and I'll give you the official tour?"

"Right, thank you so much, Mr. Peters." Katy beamed at him. He was quite nice.

"James." He corrected her.

"James." She said slowly and had to fight back the tears threatening to form.

"Now, is there anything else you need I can help with?" Ellen said after they had left.

"Yes, well, maybe," Katy didn't know if something like this existed in the Muggle world. She had always used a charm on the drawers she didn't want Lucie to be able to open, but now Lucie could get at everything and did so happily. "Is there anything I can buy to keep Lucie out of the drawers and cupboards?"

"Of course, come on." Ellen smiled and drove them to a baby supply store. They bought some little white plastic things you stick on that have a little click so you have to push down to get it open from an angle someone as small as Lucie would not be able to manage.

* * *

"Right, so try and ring this up." The following week on Thursday, Katy was in the bookshop again being taught how to use a cash register. James Peters had handed her a pile of four books that he was supposedly buying.

Katy picked up the first one and turned it over. £5.50. She punched 5.50 into the keypad and saw the numbers appear on the little screen. After hitting the button that looked like a little cross (though James claimed it meant you were adding to numbers together) she put in the next number, £10.25. She added in the other two and finally hit what was apparently called an equals sign. The total came to £27.85.

"Good, now open the cash box." He said to her and she hit the cash box button which shot out and slammed into her stomach. "Did I not mention you shouldn't stand so close when you open it?" he asked and she could tell that he was trying not to laugh.

"No, you forgot to mention that." She frowned, but wasn't really upset.

"Well, apart from the cash box hitting you, that was quite good. I told you it wasn't too hard, you think you can manage that without me being here?"

"Sure, just hit the little cross thingy every time you want to add a price and the double lines when you want to get the whole price." She shrugged and he started to laugh.

"I still don't understand how you can possible not know the names of those things. Didn't you ever learn maths?" He shook his head in disbelief.

"I..." Katy didn't know how to answer. There were so many things she hadn't encountered before. Of course she knew how to add and subtract but she didn't know the Muggle names or the little symbols.

"Where did you go to school anyway?"

"I was home schooled." She responded, remembering the time she and James had used that excuse to get out of questions on their schooling and lack of general knowledge.

"But surely you learned maths?"

"Well, sure, I can add and subtract just fine, I just never learned these little shape thingies." She said slowly. She had a feeling this excuse would not fly.

"The little shape thingies?" He raised his eyebrows disbelievingly and Katy nodded. "Where on earth did you live?"

"In a tiny little town, way up north," She repeated the same lie James had told on the same occasion as they had claimed to be homeschooled. "it isn't on any map that I'm aware of."That was an outright lie, but she had to force the memory of the one map Hogsmeade was on, out of her mind. "I never left it until I got married." Now she was just making things up but she had to have a story so that she could explain why she didn't know the simplest things about life.

"How many people live in your town?" He asked her.

"I don't know, only a few families, it isn't really a town. Just a couple of houses together." She shrugged.

"Have you got any siblings?" Katy did not want to talk about her past and her family any more. If she kept making things up she would forget it and slip up at a later point which would be bad.

"Anywhere good to eat around here?" She asked and noticed that her abrupt subject had not gone unnoticed but didn't care.

"Sure, would you like to get some lunch now? There's a lovely little place just up the road. Shall we go?"

"Sure." She had rather been hoping to eat alone because she was afraid he would drill her more on her family while they ate.

"So tell me about you, you've found out about my life, where did you live as a child?" She asked when they had ordered their food and he had opened his mouth looking ready to ask her some more questions.

"I lived in a pretty small town; I doubt you've heard of it. Though it did make it in a few newspapers about a year ago, one of the houses blew up. The police never found out why. In the nursery, and both the parents were killed but the little boy was sent to live somewhere else, no one knows what happened." He shrugged and Katy felt very cold all of a sudden. It must have shown in her face because he looked concerned. "Did you ever hear about it?"

"What was the town called?" Katy asked in a whisper.

"Godric's Hollow. Funny name, isn't it? No one in the town knows who Godric is, usually towns named after people are named after someone famous, aren't they? But no one's heard of anybody called Godric." Katy was having a hard time breathing. This man had grown up in Godric's Hollow. "It's a funny town, maybe I could take you there sometime. It's got a couple of really odd families that don't know anyone other than each other and none of their kids go to school as far as the rest of us could tell."

"Oh." Katy said for he had stopped talking and was clearly expecting her to say something. "That is funny."

The two of them walked back to the Peters' house where Katy collected Lucie. James went over to his sister and whispered something in her ear and as Katy left she thought she saw both of them watching her in an odd way but she didn't really care.

_Er.. yes... so if you are confused by that... i thought maybe Katy wouldn't really be able to escape magic, soshe meets people that have a direct link to what she ran away from._

_Anyway, as always, i really want to know what you guys think!_

_Lily_


	79. Chapter 76

_An update! hooray!_

_Jess (120307452): You are very welcome for making this story! I'm so glad you like it so much!_

_dark-moon: that is so cool that you thought of a wife and child for Sirius for a while before you read this! I know JKR said Sirius was too busy being a rebel to get married, but I always thought he ought to be married, i thought that would just add so much more to his story. So i wrote it! I am not planning of putting anything about how Sirius is doing in Azkaban, i will continue to just follow Katy until the sequel when i will follow Lucie. I thought she might be strong too, but as i have said, i think a person can only be strong for so long before it's too much. Yes, i imagine it is rather a lot to take in when one is not expecting it or anything. Well, don't worry, she will be back in the magical world at some time or another, that i can promise. I hadn't thought about what it would be like the first time Katy saw Harry again, actually, that's a good idea you had! I just may use it! Trust me, if Katy is in the Shrieking Shack, she will be loud, don't you worry! I just don't know exactly what will happen there... Yeah, i am going with katy until Lucie first shows magic. Then the story will end and pick up again (though not like the very next day or anything) in the sequel, whose first few chapters have already been written! Snaps for me!_

_livelovelaugh993: well i am sorry, though a bit flattered, for making you cry. the next few chapters will still have some sad things in them, but i tried to make parts of them funny as well!_

_alright, now on to the story!_

Chapter 76

There was a loud ringing noise that sounded through the house and made Katy jump. She was still not used to the telephone. But then, it didn't ring very often because the only people she really knew were Ellen and James and they could only call so often.

"Hello?" She asked as she picked it up.

"Hello, Katy? It's Ellen." The voice on the other side of the line said. Katy still didn't really understand how telephones worked but had never been gladder that she took Muggle Studies so that she at least knew a tiny bit about Muggle life.

"Good morning," Katy responded.

"We've just got back from town, we had to pick up one last thing for Alex's costume."

"His costume?" Katy repeated. She didn't know he needed a costume for anything.

"Of course, it's Halloween this weekend, we were wondering what you and Lucie were doing, maybe you'd like to come Trick-or-Treating with us?"

"No!" Katy said and then realized it was much too loud. "No thanks, we'll just stay here, I'm… I'm not big on Halloween."

"You're not? Why in heaven's name not?" Ellen's voice sounded very confused.

"I... I just don't like it much." Katy hoped Ellen would just drop it.

"Alright, well, if you change your mind… let me know."

"Okay, thanks."

"Are you sure? If you don't want to come, would Lucie like to? I know my kids love Halloween."

"No!" Katy said a little forcefully. "No, Lucie and I will stay home on Halloween. It isn't a big deal, you guys enjoy it. Don't worry about us."

"Oh… okay. Well, I've got to go, talk to you later."

"Okay, bye." She heard the click on the other line and the tone of disconnectedness sounded loudly in her ear. How could she have forgotten? In four days would be the one year anniversary of the death of James and Lily.

* * *

On the morning of the thirty first, Katy woke up feeling fine but immediately began to cry when she remembered what day it was. She remembered the Halloween she had had last year, she had spent the day with Sirius, happy with Sirius, loving Sirius, her, Sirius and Lucie had spent the day in the house they had bought together and then he had began to badger her to let him go. He had spent the whole day saying he really should go and check on Peter and then off he went to kill Peter and betray James and Lily. Katy knew that she would never happily be able to allow Lucie to take part in Halloween. She could not, in good conscious, help her daughter dress up and take her from house to house asking for candy on the day her best friends had died.

She heard a knock on her door at about ten in the morning. Opening it, she found James Peters standing there looking concerned.

"Hi," She said in a thick voice. She couldn't keep the pain out of her voice but she didn't care.

"Ellen said you weren't big on Halloween and she thought perhaps it wasn't just random so I thought you might like something to cheer you up." He held up a bouquet of flowers. Katy almost burst into tears upon seeing them. They were lilies.

"You bought me lilies?" She said and knew he could hear in her voice that she was almost crying.

"No, I bought…" He looked down, and seemed confused by what was in his hand. "I could have sworn I bought roses… I must have taken the wrong bunch after I paid." He laughed and handed the flowers to her. She took them, unsure of what to do or say next but he didn't seem like he was ready to leave. He just stood there on her porch and so she invited him in.

"Lucie, what are you doing?" She asked as the two of them went into the living room where Lucie was laying on her back staring straight up at the ceiling. "Come and say hello to…" She trailed off, Katy still had a very hard time saying "James" and today it was even worse. "From the bookshop, you remember him." She knew that he and Ellen had both noticed that she barely said his name but fortunately neither had asked her about it yet.

"Hi." Lucie said quickly but didn't move. She seemed very determined about whatever it was she was doing.

"So… how are you? Are you doing anything for Halloween?" Katy began awkwardly. She had no idea what sort of relationship she was supposed to have with this man. He was the younger brother of the only person she would at this point call her friend but he was going to be her boss in a few weeks.

"I thought I'd maybe go see my folks. My mum's not so keen on Halloween either." He lowered his voice slightly. "Remember that thing I told you about? In Godric's Hollow? Well, it happened a year ago today and my parents lived just across the street and my mum was never the same afterword, she reckoned… well, nevermind, you wouldn't believe it, but she thinks she saw something she couldn't have possibly seen. We all told her that her mind was playing tricks on her and it was just the bad memory that was twisting in her mind, but she seems to think there was something very… dodgy… going on that night and when I talked to her yesterday she sounded terrified that something would happen again this year so I told I'd try to drop by."

Katy stared open mouthed at him. His parents had lived across the street from James and Lily. She couldn't ever meet them as perhaps they had seen her sometime. Maybe she even knew who they were, but didn't know it.

* * *

After he left she stayed sitting still for a long time thinking. Why did she have to have met people who had the same connection to Godric's Hollow as she did, even if they didn't know it? Why couldn't magic just leave her alone? As that thought was going through her head she heard a tap on the window. An owl. Why? How did it find her? She slowly stood up and opened the window. The owl dropped a letter in her lap. She recognized, with a pang of sadness, her father's handwriting. But she just couldn't. She had to separate herself completely. She handed the letter back to the owl but it wouldn't take it. Sighing she opened it and then put it back inside, hoping that would suffice. It didn't. She sat down and pretended to read but she forced herself to not take in the words in front of her. Then she took the letter in the other room, away from the owl and resealed it using some tape. She knew her father would notice the tape, but she didn't care. She had to be left alone. This time, the owl took the letter and flew away. As soon as she shut the window, Katy burst into tears.

"Where go birdy?" Lucie had appeared in the doorway. "Mummy, stop!" She commanded, frowning at Katy and roughly wiping the tears off her face.

"There was no bird, Lucie."

"Yes, Mummy, birdy. Hoo-hoo birdy." Lucie giggled at her own joke and Katy felt her lips curving upwards a little too.

"No, Lucie, there wasn't a bird."

"There was!" Lucie glared at Katy and while Katy felt bad about telling a lie to her daughter, owls were no longer going to be a part of Lucie's life, Katy was going to make sure of it.

* * *

"Ellen, can you help me out with something today?" Katy said into the phone.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"I need to make a bank account and I'm not really sure how."

"You don't have a bank account?" Ellen's voice sounded shocked and a little confused as well.

"No, but I figure it's about time to get one."

"Yes, I'd say so. Well, when would you like to go? I can go anytime but the banks will be closing at about two this afternoon."

"Shall I just walk over to your house in about an hour?"

"Lovely, see you then."

"See you and thanks so much."

* * *

"So Katy, you need to fill these out." At the bank, Ellen handed her a large stack of forms. It didn't look too hard, she filled in her full name and checked the box for "Female" and then found the first thing she didn't get.

"Ellen, what is a DOB?"

"A dob?" Ellen repeated and frowned at her. Katy had said it like it was a word, not three letters. "It wants your date of birth. How have you never come across DOB before?" This time, Ellen pronounced it like three letters and Katy felt a blush crawling up her cheeks.

"I..." Katy had a feeling this was something all people were supposed to know. The man helping them was staring at her looking very surprised. "My husband did this kind of stuff."

"Mrs. Cupit, you forgot to put the name of the secondary school you attended." The banker told her, handing back one of the many forms she had given him. She turned red. She had just skipped it.

"Well, I didn't go to secondary school. I was homeschooled." She repeated the lie she had told James, it seemed the safest thing to say.

"You can write 'homeschooled' than." He answered her and she wrote it.

"Someone I'd like to hear all about your life. It sounds so interesting." Ellen told her as they left the bank. "I mean, I've never met someone who hardly knows maths and lived with just a few other families in a microscopic town for twenty years and then abruptly tried to start over in normal, modern society."

"Well, there isn't much to tell. I didn't do anything interesting." That was not, strictly speaking, true. She had done plenty that Ellen would surely find interesting, or perhaps amusing as there is no way that Ellen would believe her.

* * *

"Well, Mrs. Cupit, your daughter had got one of the most vivid imaginations I have seen in a long time." One of the owners of the little day care Katy had been sending Lucie to. It was owned by two young women who were a few years older than Katy. Miss Sara and Miss Annie. Katy was in the meeting that they asked to have after the child had been in their day care for three months. "She tells us all the most interesting things about you and what 'Mummy can do'." Miss Sara laughed and Katy paled a bit. What was Lucie telling them?

"Really?" She asked, trying to sound steady. "Like what?"

"Well, she says you can make things fly and you can 'jump' from place to place." Miss Sara said. "We're not entirely sure what she means by 'jumping' from place to place because when we asked if it meant actually jumping she said no."

"Well, she always has had a big imagination." Katy said weakly. _She_ had a pretty good idea what Lucie meant by 'jumping' from place to place.

"But the other children all think it's funny and now we get whole bunches of them jumping around trying to do whatever it is you can apparently do." She laughed and so did Katy though not for the same reasons.

* * *

Katy had been mostly successful trying to get away from magic. However, the one part that didn't work was mail. She still got quite regular letters from her father and brother, much more regularly than the past few years, probably due to the fact that she wasn't responding to any of them. It tore at her heart each time she saw a letter from them, but she forced herself to send it back unopened. By about six months, the letters weren't coming quite so often, but they still came.

Katy stayed working at the bookshop, she enjoyed it. And when she wasn't helping customers, she read the books herself, particularly the ones about Muggle history and various parts of Muggle life so that she would get to know a bit more. At night when she fell asleep was the hardest part of her days, she would lie in bed alone and it was then that she was no longer able to push memories out of her head. She kept herself busy during the day so her brain didn't have time to dwell on the past but at night, she was bombarded with painful memories and she dreamt about James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, Aimy, Mary, Frank, Alice, Peter and anyone else she had known almost every night.

There were a couple of times when Ellen and her brother had asked her about her life before they met, but she had made it clear she didn't want to talk about it and they had mostly dropped it although they did still wonder about why she asked for some seemingly random days off and why on those days she didn't want to see anyone. They had invited her to their house for Christmas and were going to have a big dinner on Christmas Eve but Katy didn't want to go, she couldn't go. Christmas Eve was the day she and Sirius were married and she couldn't celebrate on that day. That was something that took a little while to convince Ellen not to force her to go and have dinner with them because Katy had nothing against Christmas Day itself, just the day before it. Another day that Katy requested to have off and be left alone on was January 30th and likewise on March 27th.

She had started trying to potty train Lucie. Lucie however, was not interested in being potty trained. She liked her diapers. She did not want to have to inform her mother each time she needed to use the toilet, she didn't like having to stop doing whatever she was doing in order to go to the bathroom and so potty training went very slowly.

_Okay I'm sorry this chapter was just disjointed small bits... And also sorry to anyone who didn't like Katy's choice and actions, but sadly, it is necessary. It is very important in Lucie's story that Katy made this decision. _

_Also, i have been getting more requests than i would have expected that Katy be in the Shrieking Shack scene from PoA... what does everyone else think? At this point she isn't and I think it's going to stay that way, but i'm not positive._

_Please review! I want your comments, your questions, your suggestions! i love suggestions, it's way cool to see where other people think this story should go._

_Until next time,_

_Lily_


	80. Chapter 77

_Right so i prepared this chapter like a few days ago, maybe almost a week and really really thought it had been published but apparently i got distracted by something shiny just as i was about to hit publish. sorry everybody!!_

_Thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed and especially if you gave me your opinion on the whole Kate/Shrieking Shack thing!!!!!! _

_Now due to personal opinion and various reviews, I am currently planning on sticking to my original plan of Katy not being present for that scene. I am trying to keep as canon as I can, and while I realise that by making a character up, that is sort of moot, i want to stick as close as I can! Sorry to all that may disappoint... But who knows? Maybe I will change my mind. And if I do, I probably won't say anything, but I might. Then you shall all either be surprised, or not..._

_Thank you for listening to me and on with the show!_

Chapter 77

As much as she would have liked to stay home alone on her own birthday, Ellen knew what day her birthday was and offered to take her to dinner. She couldn't refuse, Ellen had been so nice to her all the time, she was so grateful for everything Ellen had done for her that she simply couldn't disagree when Ellen wanted to celebrate her 23rd birthday.

However the dinner ended up being distinctly awkward, everyone could tell that Katy's heart was not into celebrating but no one wanted to ask her why and Katy wasn't offering up the reason.

"I've made a cake; it's at home, so why don't we all head back there?" Katy was surprised that it was James who had spoken. She hadn't picked him out as a baker.

"You made a cake?" Ellen asked. Clearly she was surprised as well.

"Yes, I did." James frowned at his sister. "Shall we, then?" Katy's hand went into her pocket automatically and then she laughed at herself. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing, nevermind." She said quickly. She had been reaching for her wand to Apparate. Shaking her head at herself she followed the rest of them to the cars.

"Right, so Katy, you go with James, we haven't got enough room in our car, we'll just follow you there." John told her and she nodded, climbing in the front seat of the car next to James.

"Happy birthday." He said as soon as they started driving.

"Thanks." She sighed, a little sadly, and he looked over at her, also with a little sadness.

"So I can tell you don't want to talk about it so I won't ask," He started and she stared at him, confused, unsure what the point of what he was saying was. "But I'm sorry. For whatever is making you not like your own birthday, I'm sorry. And if you ever want to talk about it, you can tell me whatever it was. I won't tell a soul."

"Thanks, but it's really nothing. Just not a big birthday person." Katy shrugged.

"Like how you don't like Halloween?" he raised his eyebrows at her. "There's obviously some reason, but it's okay."

"Alright…" Katy laughed quickly. She felt a strange kind of awkwardness that she wasn't sure about.

* * *

"Really, James, your almost being insensitive, and lay off already." Katy was surprised. She had just been on her way into the kitchen to bring some more of the cake plates in from the dining room. The two boys were in the living room watching TV. Ellen didn't usually talk like that to her brother and Katy couldn't imagine what it was about.

"I am not being insensitive, Elle." He responded.

"You are, her husband is dead, did you forget that?" Katy frowned. They were talking about her.

"Of course I remember that."

"Then leave her alone. I don't know if you haven't noticed that on some completely random days she's a total mess but I have a feeling they have to do with him. And she won't talk about her life before she moved here, obviously it's too painful."

"So what am I doing that's so insensitive?"

"You know what! Nevermind, she hasn't seemed to notice at all, so by all means, keep it up."

"Keep what up?"

"Stop flirting with her!" Ellen said loudly. Katy almost laughed. He didn't flirt with her.

"I..." He stammered. "I don't…"

"It doesn't really seem to matter, as I said, she doesn't notice, so just forget I said anything." Ellen said and sighed. "But it's still insensitive. You know why she doesn't notice? She's still in love with him! She probably thinks about him all the time, I bet she's devastated, only she doesn't show it much and you go around trying to ask her out every other day." She laughed quietly. "I'm surprised she never figured out why you're constantly offering to walk her home from work or take her out to lunch at noon."

James sat down. Could Ellen possibly be right? Could James have been trying to ask her out or show that he liked her but she hadn't noticed because she was still in pain? It couldn't be because she was still in love with Sirius because she was forcing herself to hate him. She just couldn't love him anymore.

"I do not ask her out every other day." James' voice came and Katy suddenly remembered a different James telling her something similar many years earlier. Without warning and without being able to stop herself, Katy burst into tears. She sunk down in a chair nearby and set the plates in her hands on the table and cried. James and Ellen both came running out of the kitchen.

"Katy, what's the matter?" Ellen said and shot an angry look at her brother who looked incredibly mad at himself.

"Nothing… I... it's just something I... remembered…" She stopped, slapping a hand over her mouth. "I think I'm ready to go home. Thank you so much for the lovely evening." And she ran out of the house. She ran down the street and realized she had no idea how to get to her house from here. She had only been to James' house a few times and she always went been driven so she had no idea how to walk.

There was a bench at the end of the block, a bus stop. Katy sat down. She sat down and cried and cried. Why did everything have to remind her of them? Of her old friends, of her old family, of her old life. It wasn't fair! She was trying to get away from it! Why did the owls keep coming? Why did she have had to have met someone named James? Why did she notice little things around her that she thought were magic? Why wouldn't magic just leave her alone?

"Katy?"There he was. James had followed her; he probably knew she didn't know how to get home. "Katy, are you sure you're okay?" He sat down next to her at the bus stop.

"I'll be fine." She said, sniffing loudly and wiping her nose.

"Will you?" James asked and Katy had a feeling it wasn't just in reference to that night.

"I'll be fine." She said again and hoped that he understood that she knew it wasn't just about that night.

"Do you need help getting home?" He said after long silence.

"I can do it." Katy stood up. She knew she couldn't, but really, the town wasn't _that_ big. She turned and began marching down the street.

"Katy?" He called after she had gone about fifteen feet. "It's that way." He pointed in the opposite direction.

"Yes, I know." She frowned and hurried off in that direction. She stopped at the corner. She had no idea which direction to choose.

"Sure you don't want help?" James caught up with her again. "I know it isn't really a problem to take hours getting home but won't your babysitter need to get home? She's got to go to school tomorrow, doesn't she?"

"I suppose she does." Katy said and allowed him to fall in step next to her. She felt the same sort of awkwardness as in the car, but this time, she knew what it was.

They continued to walk in silence and Katy realized she was not paying attention to where they were going and still had no idea how to get to his house from hers and vice versa.

* * *

In the next month Katy began to notice what Ellen had been talking about, only in reverse. She was noticing what James no longer did. Only now that he had stopped, did Katy realize how often he had asked if she wanted to get lunch with him or if she would like him to walk her home. She found she missed it. She hadn't understood it, but she had liked it. And if she had to be perfectly honest with herself, the fact that he was called James was in some way a comfort to her. It made her feel at home even though it made her sad to think about James Potter.

* * *

Lucie's third birthday was hard for Katy. She threw her a party and invited all her little friends from day care but there was still that bit of it missing. Katy knew exactly what that bit was but forced herself not to think about it. Harder still, was the birthday that came a month earlier. Harry's third birthday was not only something Katy didn't get to see, but it was also what should have been the fourth anniversary of Lily and James' wedding.

As September passed Katy began to dread the end of October. She just couldn't celebrate Halloween, but at the beginning of October, Miss Sara from day care mentioned something about Halloween and Lucie got hooked on the idea of dressing up and getting candy so Katy wasn't sure how she would be able to get out of participating.

"For you," James beamed at her one morning in early October. He was holding a bouquet of flowers. "Happy one year in this town." She gaped at him. He knew to the day when she had come to town.

"Thanks." She smiled and took the flowers. "Thanks." Katy was feeling happy that morning anyway because it occurred to her that she had not received a letter by owl from anyone in the magical world in months. She had gotten away.

He opened his mouth to say something but at that moment the door of the book shop opened and he went to go and help the customer. Katy stood there with the flowers in her hands feeling her face turn pink.

Now that she knew it had been one year since she arrived, she was thinking about it all day. She almost started laughing if she really thought about what she had done. Ten years earlier if someone had told her that in ten years she would be living like a Muggle to escape the magical world, she would have scoffed at them and told them to stop being so ridiculous.

It was also becoming easier for her to not think about the magical world. She was getting used to being a Muggle. The telephone no longer scared her. She was no longer fascinated by the TV or the microwave or all the other little Muggle contraptions in her house and in her life. Even Lucie had seemed to be forgetting. She never asked anything about Neville anymore which she did often at first. She had even stopped telling all her friends at day care about the amazing things "Mummy can do".

_So I know this whole being a Muggle thing is crazy... but I hope you all understand and don't deeply dislike me! Do you all absolutely hate me because of James' existance?_

_I will update soon, please review!_

_~Lily_


	81. Chapter 78

_So this chapter is a bit longer than they have been being, but I assume most of you are okay with that. :P_

_Thank you to sums96, desirable69, stealthclaw, dark-moon, Sirius' sweetheart, x BLACK/REMUS/POTTER LOVERS and Stickman-sam for reviewing!_

_NoAnd how I will reply, i really am trying to be better about replying!_

_Stickman-sam: Hooray! I guess that's actually not all that nice of me, but if it almost made you cry, then i must have written it well. =)_

_x BLACK/REMUS/POTTER LOVERS: yeah... it is sort of long, isn't it?_

_Sirius' Sweetheart: I'm glad you don't! And i will try and update faster but this story is getting close to finished. However there will be a sequel._

_dark-moon: i love it when you review cause it always makes my day! don't worry i will not abandon this story or the sequel unless i get hit by a bus or something. or like run over by a train. you know. things like that. :P yea... James' presense is sort of very much a plot device to help/maybe not help Katy cope and get over things. we'll just have to see if he does good or bad things, won't we? haha. i am so glad to hear i will always have at least one reader! yay!_

_stealthclaw: i am glad to hear you were snorting with disgust at my bad writing. haha... i'm glad it was funny and not just stupid..._

_desirable69: i'm glad it come off right then! thanks!_

_sums96: i am going to take the liberty of assuming that ":]" means you like it so thanks!_

_Okay people, enough of me, thank you in advance if you review this chapter! and off we go..._

Chapter 78

"Lucie, what are you doing, sweetheart?" Lucie was running in fast circles around the living room. Katy had been sitting numbly on the couch trying to forget what day it was.

"Pincess." Lucie answered at once and the same time, the doorbell rang. Katy left Lucie to her circles and went to answer it.

"Good morning," she said stiffly to James. She tried to sound as welcoming as she could; any distraction was priceless on Halloween. James had started bringing things for Lucie with him so his visits were a big hit with her as well.

"Morning, Katy." he smiled back and held out both his hands. In one was a small stuffed bear for Lucie and in the other a bouquet of flowers. "I remembered that you don't like Halloween, so I brought you some flowers."

"Thank you," Katy took them. "Thank you for thinking of me." She led him into the living room. "Lucie, James is here. He has something for you."

"Present!" Lucie stopped running immediately and hurried over to James, holding her hands out to him and beaming angelically up at him.

"Lucie, be polite." Katy scolded her. "What do you say when someone gives you a present."

"I love you very, very much." Lucie said immediately and held her hands out to James again who burst out laughing. "Hey!" Lucie frowned at him and put her little hands on her hips. "I won' love you no more." She warned him.

"Well, we can't have that, can we?" James smiled and handed Lucie the little bear. She took it with a happy squeal and ran out of the room with it. "How are you, today?" James asked after Lucie left.

"Okay… I'm okay." Katy answered, sitting down in her mother's old rocking chair. It was one of the few things she had brought with her that was not currently hidden in the attic.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I guess." she said, looking at her lap. She couldn't let him see her cry and she was afraid she was about to.

"Can I ask what about Halloween you don't like?"

"You can ask, but I'm not going to tell." Katy said with a sniff. "I'm sorry, James, I really don't want to talk about my past." She had had to beat down requests to hear about her childhood many times from both James and Ellen, the former because he seemed to be very worried about her and the latter because she thought that Katy had grown up in a town that still worked like it was the early twentieth century.

"I thought you'd say that." He sighed. "Well, if you need anything, never hesitate to call me." She looked up at him and he smiled at her. She managed a small smile back. "What are you doing about Lucie tonight?"

"What do you mean?"

"She's excited about Halloween, she may not know what it really is, but I know she's excited to dress up and get candy. Are you going to take her trick-or-treating?"

"I..." Katy had no idea how she was going to deal with that evening. Lucie was not going to want to sit tight all night, but Katy knew it was impossible for her to take Lucie from house to house just like the little Muggle children to whom she had given candy two years previously. "No, I am not taking her trick-or-treating, I just can't. I don't know what I am going to do or what is going to end up happening, but I cannot take Lucie trick-or-treating. It's not possible." He looked curiously at her and she knew she had confused him. He must now think her dislike of Halloween had something to do with trick-or-treating.

"Did you have a bad experience trick-or-treating one time?" He asked and she knew she was right.

"No, I've never gone trick-or-treating." She said quickly.

"Oh." James responded, clearly confused. But then, since she had never given any reason to dislike Halloween and always point blank refused to talk about why some things and some days were unbearable for her, that was to be expected. "Well, if you don't want to go, I can take her for you. Or Ellen will go with the boys, if she really wants to go."

"Maybe." Katy said and shrugged. She didn't want Halloween to be part of Lucie's life. It had caused to many horrors in Katy's. But it looked like no matter what she did, it would be one. "Maybe." She said again. "She hasn't got a costume, even if she does somehow go."

"We can make her one." James said immediately. "And you might want to think about coming. I mean, won't it be better to be out doing something than sitting at home and thinking about whatever it is you don't like about Halloween?" Katy had to admit he had a point.

"Maybe." She said again.

"'Stume, Mummy. Mummy make Lucie a 'stume!" Lucie had apparently overheard part of the conversation.

"This is your fault, you know." Katy said to James, but she was smiling. "I suppose we can make a costume. But she doesn't have to wear it anywhere." She added, mostly for her own comfort. "Right, Lucie, what do you want to dress up like?"

"Paper Pincess." Lucie said immediately. She had recently decided to be a princess when she grew up because of a book Miss Sara had read to them at day care, _The Paper Bag Princess_.

"You want to be the Paper Bag Princess?" Katy asked and smiled. Lucie nodded vigorously. "I suppose you probably will fit in a paper bag." James went into the kitchen and retrieved one. Lucie squealed happily at the sight of it and began attempting to take off the clothes she was already wearing in exchange for this new and more exciting outfit. "Wait a minute, Lu." Katy said. "It's cold out, you are going to have to wear a shirt and pants underneath this." She left the bag in the living room with James and Lucie and went upstairs to Lucie's room.

Katy felt a few tears squeezing out of her eyes as she opened Lucie's drawers. What was she doing, happily assisting her daughter in the worst of holidays? In the holiday that made everything terrible happen. She hastily grabbed a pair of white tights, some skin-colored leggings, a white t-shirt and a skin colored turtleneck shirt for Lucie and went back downstairs.

"Right, if you want to be the Paper Bag Princess, then you have to wear these as well." Katy held up her finds for Lucie. "Can you help me hold her still?" Katy asked James as she unbuttoned the top buttons on Lucie's dress. Lucie was so excited at the chance to wear a paper bag that she was bouncing in place. James kneeled on the floor in front of her and held her arms so she couldn't move much.

Katy pulled the dress up over her head and Lucie giggled madly, standing there in a red t-shirt and her diaper.

"Guess what your New Year's resolution is going to be, Lu?" Katy grinned pointing at the diaper. "Being potty trained. No more diapers soon, alright?"

"No more diapers, Mummy!" Lucie shouted though it was impossible to tell if this was because Lucie wanted it to happen or not.

Katy pulled Lucie on to her lap and got the tights on. The leggings were next. Then James pulled the shirt off Lucie and folded it up with her dress. Katy put on the new shirt and the turtleneck and then stood Lucie up. She was completely tan colored.

"Baggy Mummy, Mummy, baggy, Lucie baggy, baggy pincess." Lucie said happily.

"We have to cut the bottom out first if you want to wear it." Katy said. She told James where he would find scissors and he brought them back in from the kitchen. Katy cut out the bottom of the bag and then walked over to Lucie who was beside herself with excitement. She lifted the bag over her little girl's head and pulled Lucie's arms through the bag holes.

"Pincess!" Lucie shrieked excitedly. "Crown, Mummy, please div me crown."

"But I thought the Paper Bag Princess lost her crown?" Katy said.

"No!" Lucie stamped her feet. "Please Mummy!" She asked and grinned angelically up at Katy.

"Aw, give her a crown, why don't you." James said, smiling at Lucie.

"She's that good at working stuff over on you? Just one little smile and she's got you wrapped round her little finger."

"Well she's awfully cute."

"Yes Mummy, se's awfy cute." Lucie beamed at Katy. Katy shook her head as James burst out laughing and then she went to find a little crown.

* * *

Katy could hardly believe that she was on her way to go trick-or-treating. She had sworn to herself that she would never participate in Halloween, but James was right, it was better to be out doing something than sitting at home and, though James didn't know it, crying about Lily and a different James.

Ellen was taking her two boys and so Katy, Lucie and James went together. Lucie had a plastic jack-o-lantern that James had gone out and bought for her which she was trying to collect candy in. She knew that you rang the doorbell and then said something and you got candy but she apparently didn't know exactly what to say because every time the door opened, Lucie would grin happily at the person with the bowl of candy, say "ticker teeth!" and hold up her pumpkin.

"Bill, dear, would you look at this! She's the Paper bag Princess!" A woman who lived up the street called into her house when they came. "That was my favorite book as a child and I always read it to my kids when they were little." She smiled. "That is too cute." Bill appeared and exclaimed over Lucie for a few minutes too and then Bill and his wife gave Lucie about three handfuls of candy each.

After an hour, Lucie had mostly filled her bucket, people gave her more candy than Katy would have liked, and Katy and Lucie went back home. James came with them still, he seemed unsure if he was supposed to leave or not.

"Would you mind helping me get her to bed?" Katy asked him. He nodded and the three of them went upstairs. "Alright, Luey, what pajamas do you want?" She asked Lucie who frowned at her.

"Pincess." She said and fondly stroked her paper bag.

"No, Lucie, you can't wear your costume to bed."

"Pincess, Mummy." Lucie frowned.

"Well, how about your princess nightgown?" Katy said and pulled out a pink nightgown that had a princess on it. Lucie bounced around excitedly at the sight of it. "Lovely. James, could you get that bag off of her for me?" James pulled the bag off of Lucie.

"Sirt, please." She said to him and he helped her get the two shirts off and the leggings and the tights. "Pincess." She said to Katy and held out her hands for Katy to give her the nightgown.

"Not so fast, your Highness." Katy scooped up Lucie. "You need a new diaper because the one you have on royally stinks." She lay Lucie down on the changing table, deaf to Lucie's royal orders to leave her diaper alone and began to change it. When she finished, she put the soiled one in the sealed container for washing and Lucie on the floor. Lucie giggled happily and then ran out of the room. "I blame you." Katy smiled at James.

"Me? What have I done?"

"It's just because someone else is here. She always wants to show off when there are other people around." Katy sighed and followed Lucie. She found her quickly. Lucie was now three but still lived under the impression that if-I-can't-see-you-than-you-can't-see-me. Her hiding spots were almost always behind curtains, or under pillows or once, right in the middle of the floor, face down with her eyes closed. Katy seized her from behind and brought her upstairs, her shrieks and giggles coming all the way with them.

James was still standing in Lucie's room, the princess nightgown in his hands. He handed it to Katy who forced it over Lucie's head. She dropped Lucie in the crib and leaned over it.

"'Tory, Mummy." Lucie said, sitting up in the crib and smiling happily up at her mother.

"What story do you want, love?" Katy asked.

They read _The Paper Bag Princess_, Lucie's new favorite story. Afterwords, Lucie got to have a bottle and then fell asleep quickly, exhausted from Halloween.

"Thanks for helping." Katy whispered as she and James crept down the stairs, Lucie candy bucket in one of Katy's hands.

"And now," Katy said in her normal voice when they reached the living room. "We check and see what Lucie is allowed to eat. Take out any hard candy, anything she could possibly choke on, anything sour, she hates sour and if there is anything you really like, she won't know the difference." She laughed and poured all the candy out onto the living room floor. Katy and James spent half an hour sorting candy. "I still think that is too much." Katy looked at the candy left. "She can have maybe half that much. Take what you want." She said to James. Muggle candy was still weird to her and she hadn't really gotten used to much of it, though it wasn't bad, just different.

"I'm really happy for you." James said after the candy was put away and the two of them sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Why?" Katy asked. She looked sideways at him. They were sitting on the floor still, leaning up against the couch, next to each other.

"You're happy. You used to look sad all the time. Your eyes always looked hurt. But now, when you laugh, your eyes do too. And I'm happy about that. That you've gotten over whatever happened to you. Not that I think you don't care anymore, but you've come to terms with it or something. But it's nice to see you actually happy." After he said that, Katy felt ready to cry. That was so nice of him. He really noticed things.

"I am happier." She said through a choked voice and then began to laugh. She was staring to cry as she told him she had become a happy person.

"Good." He said. They sat there and stared at each other for a little while. She felt a few tears slide down her cheeks but she didn't do anything. Then he reached up and wiped her cheek off. His hand stayed on her cheek long after the tear had gone. Katy didn't really know what was going on, but she found herself leaning forward and he was as well. She felt his other hand on her cheek as well and then he kissed her.

She kissed him back. Her own hand reached up and she felt his hair through her fingers. And then, with the sort of monumental timing that was only found in some of the Muggle movies Katy had seen that year, Lucie began to cry from upstairs. Katy stopped kissing him but didn't pull back for a moment. Then she leaned away from him and just looked at him. He was smiling at her like he had never smiled before.

"I need to get Lucie." She whispered, inwardly wishing that she hadn't let Lucie sleep in her bed so long as she woke up more frequently now that she was not in Katy's bed anymore.

She stood up and felt James take hold of her hand. He stood up with her, following her up the stairs, holding tightly onto her hand the whole time.

It only took fifteen minutes to get Lucie asleep again. James had gone back downstairs and Katy was very nervous as she walked out of Lucie's room. What was going to happen when she went into the living room where she was guessing he was waiting for her? Then she felt a stab of guilt that she had been kissing someone other than Sirius, someone other than Lucie's father but that feeling was immediately replaced by a surge of hard triumph, Sirius had lied to her, he had lied to them all, she didn't need to be moping over him, she could be kissing as many different people as she liked. With this bitter, but motivating thought it mind, she marched into the living room, straight up to James and kissed him firmly on the lips. He kissed her back but pulled away after a moment.

"Are you alright, right now?" he asked, his eyes roving her face for telltale signs of something bad. "You looked about ready to kill someone when you came in here. Or at least like you had something both very unpleasant and pleasant on your mind. But that doesn't make any sense. Oh I don't know, I've never seen anything like the look you had on your face just then." Katy sat down quickly, unable to look him in the eye. He had been right; it was both pleasant and unpleasant. But neither really involved pleasant. It was both happy and sad, bitter and triumphant, angry and delighted.

"Sorry." She mumbled. She felt distinctly like a child caught in wrongdoing and wanted to laugh. He came and joined her on the couch.

"For what?"

"For looking ready to kill someone."

"Nothing to apologize for unless you try to kill me." He said brightly and shrugged. They sat in silence for a long time. "I should probably be getting home." He said quietly. They both stood up awkwardly at the same time. Together they walked to the front door. She opened it for him. He stepped through and turned back to her. He leaned forward but only hugged her. He hugged her tightly and then leaned back and kissed her once on the cheek then turned and walked down the front walk. "Good night," he said softly and smiled and he began walking up the street. Katy shut the door, sat down hard on the stairs and cried.

_Was it okay? I hope you guys liked it. _

_Well i can now tell you that this entire story has less than 90 chapters and we are at 79, so by a few weeks i think i will have gotten the whole thing updated. if i remember correctly there are 86 or 87 chapters._

_I'll update in a few days I think!_

_Please review!_

_Lily_


	82. Chapter 79

_hello all! sorry for the long update time... i was sort of holding back and waiting in case i got a few more reviews... this time there weren't very many.. oh well, so here is the next chappie!_

_to those of you who reviewed: hooray for you! thanks!_

_livelovelaugh993: awww, that's so sweet of you! and yes, that bit was bound to happen... haha thanks for reading!_

_dark-moon: two reviews! that like double made my day! :P yeah that chapter sort of sets the stage for what is to come, but don't worry, katy is not about to forget sirius in a heartbeat and live happily ever after by the end of this chapter. haha. and don't forget that daddy thing! :D and yes there will be a few small bits and pieces here and there from Katy's POV during the sequel. okay so this story is going to end when Lucie shows her magic for the first time (oops, did i just give away that she isn't a squib... haha) and the sequel will pick up when she gets her hogwarts letter. and yes i have written already some of the big scenes... haha i have actually written a looot of Lucie's story already... though it isn't called that... haha it has a better title i promise. _

_jasmine: thanks for reviewing! i'm glad you like it!_

_oh and just because dark-moon got me thinking about Lucie's story, i can officially announce here that the title of the sequel is going to be called _Ignorance is Bliss_ and i have alraedy written the first few chapters of it.. haha so i should be able to start posting it pretty soon after this one is finished... i will let you guys know!_

_so on with the story!_

Chapter 79

The next day was Saturday so Katy didn't have to go in to work, something she was very grateful for. She had no idea if what had happened between her and James had even really happened; she almost wondered if it had just been a dream. He didn't come to see her all day on Saturday and he didn't call her. She spent the day with Lucie, turning over the thoughts that had come to her in that moment of bitterness the previous evening.

What did she really think about having feelings for someone other than Sirius? How did it make her feel? Did she really still love him? Did she really hate him? She realized she had hardly any answers to those questions, and the ones she had were hardly answers: no idea, not sure, somewhere very deep, yes. There was only one solid answer. She knew she hated Sirius Black and likely always would. How could he have done what he did? She had known him for ten years. Ten years and never once had he done anything that seemed to be pro-Death Eaters. And then all of a sudden he was betraying Lily and James to You-Know-Who and killing Peter. Katy knew there was a part of her that was hoping it had all been a mistake. That Sirius hadn't done any of it and that he would be released from Azkaban with heartfelt apologies and they would get to live together again but she knew that wasn't possible.

There was also still part of her hoping that maybe Sirius had been kidnapped and forced to tell. Maybe the Death Eaters had put the Imperious Curse on him and forced him to betray the Potters and kill Peter, but again, she knew it wasn't true. When they arrested him they would have checked to see if he was under any enchantments and he wasn't. He had done it all by choice. Katy knew that. But sometimes, deep in the unconscious parts of her mind, she still thought he had been forced because she just couldn't let herself think she had been married to a Death Eater and a Death Eater had been the father of her little girl.

As Katy sat and thought more about her old life than she had in months, Lucie played with her toys in innocent oblivion on the floor. Lucie seemed to have finally forgotten. Lucie hadn't asked about Daddy in many months, she hadn't asked questions about why Katy never used magic anymore in about the same amount of time. Lucie seemed to be perfectly happy being a Muggle child. But Katy knew that she herself would never become a Muggle. She could try all she wanted, she could do everything in her power, she could never touch her wand again, but she would never become a Muggle. Magic was in her blood. She would never be able to forget what had happened in the first twenty two years of her life. It just wasn't possible. And she was dreading the first time magic would pop out of her at an unexpected time. She knew it was bound to happen eventually.

* * *

On Sunday morning, Katy opened the front door to find a bouquet of flowers and a little note. She opened the note at the kitchen table.

_Dear Katy,_

_If what happened on Friday was, for you, something bad, something you didn't want to happen, something you want to forget, I will respect that.  
I have no idea what was going through your head then, actually, I never have any idea what is going through your head. You are a complete mystery to me.  
My personal wish is not to pretend nothing happened. I care for you a lot, Katy, I hope you know that.  
But I don't want to cause you any pain, so the choice is yours._

There was no signature, but Katy didn't have to guess more than once who had sent it. She felt herself beginning to cry again and was glad to Lucie was in the other room. Katy hated letting Lucie see her cry.

The choice was hers. But what choice. If she told him she didn't want to forget about it, did that mean they were "dating"? But "dating" was not something she had talked about since she was fifteen or sixteen. Maybe it meant they were "a couple"? That sounded a bit more grown up to her. But she didn't know. It didn't really matter what they were called. Were they together or not? If she wrote him a letter saying that she didn't want to pretend it didn't happen, would he come running over and ask her something to make it official? She had no idea what "it's up to you" meant.

But whatever it meant, she wanted to say yes. She didn't wish what happened on Halloween hadn't happened. She laughed to herself as she realized it had happened on Halloween. Now she had one horrific memory connected with Halloween and one good memory. Then she burst into tears when she realized instead of thinking about Lily and James, she had been kissing someone. Lucie came in at the sudden sound and turned her worried little face up to Katy.

"No Mummy, be all better, all Mummy better. Bad fings can go bye, bye." She patted Katy gently on the hand.

"What do you think of James?" she asked Lucie, expecting to be told how lovely he was because he kept bringing her presents.

"Daddy." Lucie said solemnly.

"What?" Katy asked. "What about Daddy?"

"Mummy," Lucie frowned. "I have no Daddy." She looked as if Katy had been the one to bring fathers into the conversation.

"You're right Lucie, you have no Daddy. What did you mean by saying Daddy, then?"

"Daddies bing presents."

"Yes, I expect daddies do bring presents for their children."

"Dames bing presents for me." She could still not say his name correctly.

"I know that, sweetheart."

"Daddy."

"You think James is Daddy?" Katy asked, looking at Lucie in surprise. Lucie, however, smiled serenely back.

"Daddy presents, Dames presents." Lucie cocked her head to one side, looking at Katy with a sideways grin and then skipped out of the room.

* * *

"Thank you," Katy said quietly on Monday morning to James after she arrived. They hadn't opened the shop yet so it was just the two of them. "for Friday. Lucie had a great time, I had a great time. It made Halloween okay. _I'll never forget it_." She said, looking him directly in the eye as she spoke the last sentence, hoping, willing him, praying he would understand where she was going.

"Me neither." He said softly and took a step towards her and she knew he had. However, at that moment, the bells from the little church a few blocks away rang nine thirty and they had to turn round the closed sign and prepare for customers.

"Can you sort these for me?" He asked her part way through the day. He was dealing with a customer who had one particular book in mind that he wanted but had only read it once, only remembered the plotline vaguely and had no idea about either the title or the author. She nodded, took the papers from him and went to the desk in the backroom.

The first little group of papers had already been sorted out. She found this a bit odd. But she put them aside and turned to the next group. They had been sorted too. The next three groups of papers had all be sorted too. As she was about to put them back on top and ask what sort of thing he had been hoping she do, she noticed another paper that was certainly not an official bookshop document.

_Katy, can I take you out to dinner tonight? Then we can talk. I'll pick you up at seven. You don't have to get dressed up; we'll just go to Winmere's._

Katy grinned at the note. Then she carefully piled the papers back on top of it.

"Excuse me, James?" She tapped him lightly on the arm. He turned to look at her.

"Would you excuse me for just one moment?" he asked the customer, who excused him, saying he would use the time to try and remember some more about the book. James turned around to face her.

"Well," she said, mindful that while the customer was not giving them his undivided attention, it would be best not to openly say what she was trying to say. Therefore she spoke carefully and hoped James would understand. "I got them all sorted all right. I put them in _seven _groups. However the last one needs to be _dressed_ _up_ a bit more. It seems a little too plain and blunt." The look he gave her told her he had understood where she was going with that. "But I'll just leave them on your desk for you to look at later." She smiled and turned away. The customer happily exclaimed he had just remembered the main character was called Rupert Winterbottom.

* * *

That afternoon when Katy got home, she called the same girl who had babysat for Lucie a few times, a girl called Charlotte Smithson.

"Charlotte? I know it's really late notice, but could you watch Lucie for a few hours this evening? Something's just come up."

"When would it be?" she heard a little uncertainty in Charlotte's voice.

"I have dinner with someone tonight, he's coming over at seven, but you can put Lucie to bed whenever you need to, she can't tell time, just say it's bedtime and she'll go quiet enough, I think. Have you got something you need to do?"

"Well, I have a big paper I have to write for school, but I suppose I can bring some books over and do some more of the research after Lucie's asleep. Yes, I can do it."

"Thank you, what time do you need to be home, then? I don't know what time I'll be done, but I can be home whenever you need me to be."

"Eleven." Charlotte said.

"Thank you so much, it's really great of you to do this." Katy said. Charlotte said she would be over at ten to seven.

"Right, Lucie, Mummy has a date tonight." Katy beamed at Lucie after hanging up the phone. Lucie beamed back but clearly had no idea what a date was. "So, it's time to get all dressed up. Want to help?" Lucie nodded immediately. They walked up the stairs into Katy's bedroom.

"Mummy wear a pretty dress." Lucie said and opened the closet door so hard that it slammed into the wall behind it.

"Careful, Lu." Katy said. Lucie appeared not to have heard her. She was now fully inside the closet, disappeared in the pants and skirts and shirts and dresses within.

"Dis one!" She announced happily, holding up a summer dress.

"No, Lucie, that isn't right." Katy took the little blue dress out of Lucie's hands and put it away. That was not a dress to go out to dinner in.

"Dis one!" Lucie pulled out another dress for summer.

"You like summer dresses, do you?" Katy aside with a smile, this time she put the dress on her bed because she wondered if repeats would begin coming out if she just put them all back in the closet.

An hour later, Katy had finally convinced Lucie to be okay with the dress she had selected. Lucie still wanted her to wear a summer dress.

"Now what should Mummy do with her hair?" Katy asked Lucie.

Up, up!" Lucie shouted and then pulled Katy into a sitting position on the floor and began pulling her hair this way and that. She grabbed all of Katy's hair together and then wound it up in one big curl which she then tried to put on Katy's head, but it kept falling off.

"How about if Mummy tries it?" Katy asked and Lucie allowed that. Katy pulled all her hair up in one curl, wound like Lucie had put it, and would it up in a bun at the top of her head. then she wound it up in a bun on the top of her head and used about three hundred pins to keep it there.

"Mummy, you're pretty!" Lucie beamed at Katy.

"Well thank you." Katy leaned down and kissed Lucie on the head. "Any guesses what time it is?"

"Three!" Lucie shouted.

"No, that's what you say when people want to know how old you are, love." Lucie had figured out that both time and age were always a number, but had not figured out they were not interchangeable. Katy glanced at the clock. "It's after six. Time for you to eat dinner."

"Food!" Lucie screeched and ran down the stairs, Katy walking more carefully behind her. In the kitchen, Katy put on a very large apron so she didn't have to risk getting anything on her dress and then opened the cupboard and pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese. Lucie loved macaroni and cheese. She put the water on to boil and got the noodles cooking.

"Come here, sweets, I need to get you in your chair." Katy held out a hand to Lucie who took it and promptly began trying to climb up the chair. "Want a hand?" Katy smiled and picked up her little girl who was telling her to stop because she was going to climb. Katy set her down in the chair and put a bib, much to Lucie's displeasure, around her neck.

She got the noodles all made and Lucie was just finishing them when the doorbell rang. Katy went to answer it, leaving Lucie to eat her last few noodles. She let Charlotte in and noticed Charlotte had more than one large book with her.

"Right, Lucie, I want you to behave tonight, Charlotte needs to do some work, so when she says its bedtime, you go to bed without a fuss, alright?" She looked Lucie straight in the eye. Lucie nodded immediately but Katy could never really tell if Lucie had actually been paying attention or if the nod was to something completely different or just coincidental and Lucie actually had no idea her mother had been talking to her.

Just a few minutes after seven, the doorbell rang again. Katy went to answer it and just as she was opening the door, she remembered she had never taken off the apron she was wearing and so was rather pink in the face as she greeted James.

"Good evening," he smiled at her and she did her best to fight back the large amounts of color on her cheeks.

"Hi," she said back, "well, come in, I just need to put this away and say goodbye to Lucie."

"Lovely, I have a little something for her." He held up what looked to Katy to be more than a little something. It was a rather large box with paper and a bow on it. "Lucie, I have a present for you." He said upon entering the kitchen. "But I'm giving it to Charlotte and she is only allowed to give it to you if you do exactly what I am sure your mother told you that you have to do." He winked at Katy who grinned back. He handed the box to Charlotte.

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Katy leaned down and kissed Lucie on the forehead, pulling her head back just in time to avoid a very cheesy hand reaching up to grab hold of her. "Thanks, again, Charlotte, I'll be home at eleven."

"Eleven?" James asked when they got outside. "You've got a curfew from your babysitter?"

"She needs to sleep! She's only sixteen, besides she has school tomorrow and she has some big paper she's writing. Did you have an entire night planned?" She asked.

"No, we're just eating dinner."

"What did you buy her?" Katy asked. "And you really don't need to get her big things; you'll spoil her rotten if you aren't careful."

"A doll. I saw it in the toy shop this afternoon and I thought she'd like it. I notice she has quite a few and this one seemed nice." He smiled. "And there's nothing rotten about that child, she's adorable, you know that."

"No fair! You can't base your argument on how my daughter is cute because then I can't contradict it."

"I know." He smirked at her.

"You must be the one keeping that toy shop in business for all the things you get Lucie." Katy laughed and stepped into the car.

* * *

The evening went far too quickly for Katy's liking. The two of them just chatted in the restaurant and then jumped up, realizing it was ten thirty. They pulled up to Katy's house at quarter to eleven. Lucie was, of course, asleep and Charlotte was reading from her books.

"Hey," Katy said, coming into the living room. Charlotte put down her book. "Any problems?" Charlotte shook her head. "Lovely, thanks for doing this."

"Sure, it was fun, you can call anytime. And she just about died when she saw that doll, she loved it." She added to James. "Well, I need to go." She said goodbye, Katy paid her and then Charlotte let herself out.

"Would you mind if I just went to bed now? I'm really quite exhausted." Katy asked and James nodded.

"See you tomorrow, then." He smiled.

"See you tomorrow." She repeated and they began to walk back towards the door. Just before she opened it, he leaned down and kissed her once. She smiled up at him. "Goodnight." She said softly and he went out the door. She went upstairs with a very big smile on her face.

However, she didn't immediately go to bed. She went to check to make sure that Lucie was in fact asleep. She was. And her arms were wrapped around the new doll. It was bigger than any of Lucie's other dolls. It's body was soft but it's arms, legs and head were plastic. Katy picked the doll up carefully, so as not to disturb Lucie and nearly cried out. Not that the doll's plastic features looked like the features that sprang into Katy's mind, but the doll had long, dark red hair and green eyes. It's features were obviously features to look like a small child, but how exactly had James decided to buy _that _one? She set it down carefully and Lucie's little fingers clamped around it once more. Katy went to bed and dreamt about Lily all night.

_And welcome to the doll... haha that doll does have a roll in the story, i promise._

_what did you guys think?? please review!!! i really want to know what you think!_

_pip pip!_

_Lily_


	83. Chapter 80

_Now I have decided as a very special treat to upload two chapters at the same time! I know, how nice of me. :P_

_Thank you thank you to everyone who reviewed!!_

_Sirius' Sweetheart: i'm glad you find it interesting!_

_120307452: i'm terribly sorry but i can't reveal how she finds out that Sirius is innocent nor do i choose to disclose what sort of relationship she may or may not have with James at that point. :P It's a tough decision, you are right._

_gcant2: i suppose you're right. :D james does add some (potential) drama. but i really like him, he isn't just a plot device! haha. i'm glad you love it!_

_Ridingstar95: yeah, i know what you mean. sometimes i go back to look at old things if i am not sure about something that i know was perviously discussed or whatever and i think it's sad too... but thank you for reading the whole thing too!!_

_And now onto the first of 2 chapters!_

Chapter 80

"Come on, Lily, it's time for eating." Katy froze. What was Lucie talking about? She stopped just before she went into the living room, curious what else Lucie would say. Katy didn't even know who Lucie was talking to. "We have to make beakfast and then we go to swing at the park. Come on, Lily, it's fun." Then Lucie came out of the living room, holding her new doll firmly by the hand. "Hello Mummy!" she beamed brightly up at Katy. "Mummy, my new dolly!"

"Has she got… got a name?" Katy asked, thinking she did and not wanting to hear it.

"Lily!" Lucie said immediately.

"You named your doll Lily?" Katy could hardly believe that Lucie would have chosen the doll who looked like Lily to be called Lily. Perhaps she could still remember, in some part of her mind.

"Yes!" Lucie said happily. "Lily, Lily, silly Lily, Lily, Lily, se's a bit silly though, Mummy. Se doesn't want to eat beakfast."

"Is that so?" Katy asked weakly. "Are you _sure _you want to call her Lily?"

"Yes!" Lucie shouted. "Mummy, say hello to Lily!"

"Hello… Li – Lily…" Katy said in shaky voice.

"Say I love you to Lily."

"Lucie…"

"Don't you like her?" Lucie said, her eyes darting back and forth between the doll and Katy, her chin beginning to tremble a little at the horrific possibility of her mother not liking her new doll.

"She's a lovely doll, Lu."

"I know dat." Lucie frowned up at Katy. "Say I love you to her, please!" Lucie gave her mother her most angelic smile.

"I love you." Katy said it to Lucie, she looked at Lucie, she couldn't add the name Lily onto the end of that sentence though, she just couldn't. She hoped Lucie would be satisfied.

Lucie would not be parted with Lily all day. She carried her everywhere and asked Katy to prop Lily up in a chair while they ate since Katy wouldn't let her have Lily in the high chair with her. Lucie even wanted Lily to have a bowl with noodles in it just like she did. Katy gave her a bowl but said no to the noodles.

Lily went to school with Lucie the next day. According to Lucie, Lily loved school. Lily was to go to school with her every day.

* * *

"Does she like the doll?" James asked Katy at work a few days later.

"Adores it. She takes it to school with her every morning and the doll eats every meal with us and sleeps with Lucie every night and Lucie always is carrying her around."

"Did Lucie name her?" He asked, smiling.

"Yes." Katy looked at the floor. "She did."

"Well what did she call her?" James asked after a strange pause.

"Lily." Katy whispered, willing herself to keep calm, not betray anything.

"That's a nice name." he said after another strained silence.

"Lovely name." Katy agreed.

* * *

"Lucie, we have to go!" Katy called and scooped Lucie up and hurried out the door. She put Lucie in the stroller on the front walk and began power walking down the street. They got to the end of the street and Lucie began to cry. She was crying and wailing and bawling and she wouldn't stop long enough to explain why. "Lucie, sweetheart, tell me what's the matter."

"You fordot Lily!" Lucie said after many loud sobs and hiccups. "Lily's home alone! Se doesn't like to be alone! Mummy se's scared to be alone! We have to det her!"

"Lucie, we haven't got time to go and fetch her."

"Yes Mummy!" Tears were staring to fall again. "Mummy se'll die!"

"No, Lucie, don't say that!" Katy said sharply. "Lily won't die, I promise." Katy hated herself, what was she doing, saying those hollow, empty words, they didn't mean anything. Sirius had promised Lily would live too, and look what had happened.

"Yes, Mummy, if we leave her at home, se'll die!" Lucie said. "Please Mummy!"

Perhaps it was because of what Lucie had said awaited the doll, but Katy found herself turning the stroller around and walking with it back to the house where she ran inside and retrieved Lily from the couch. Lucie let out a shriek of happiness when Katy handed her the beloved doll.

"What on earth happened this morning, you're over half an hour late?" James asked when Katy finally got into the book shop.

"We forgot Lily and we had to go back and get her and we were already running late." Katy explained as she hung her jacket up in the back room.

"If you got a car, this would all be a lot easier. You can go anywhere in town in thirty seconds in a car."

"I don't need one." She said. They had had this discussion before. Both Ellen and James told her how much easier having a car would make her life. She personally disagreed but had never before told them exactly why. She decided perhaps she ought to and then they would drop it. "Look, James, if I had a car, it would do nothing for me, nothing at all. I can't drive." He looked very surprised. "I never learned."

"Did you ride horse drawn carriages in your town?" He asked with a little snort.

"Ha ha. No, but we never drove anywhere. The whole town was about three feet long. It would have been harder to drive than walk so no one drove." Like always when she spoke about her 'town', it wasn't completely true, but she had to have some story. "See, if I had a car, it would just sit in my driveway all the time cause I can't drive it. Sorry I was late."

"No problem." He grinned. "And I'll teach you to drive, if you like."

"Maybe." Katy was scared of cars. She certainly didn't think she would be able to control many thousands of pounds of metal and ever since her fifth year at school, she had had a very negative association with cars. She only rode in them when absolutely necessary.

"If you can't drive," James asked all of a sudden. "How did you get here?"

"I walked, just like every morning."

"No, not to the shop this morning, to this town. How did you get here from your town… Hog… Ho… oh I don't remember the name. What was it called again?"

"I took the train." She lied easily, ignoring the last question. If he had forgotten the name, that was delightful by her.

"To where? We haven't got a train station."

"I don't remember the town I changed in. Then I took a bus." She said quickly. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't pursue it.

* * *

"You must be making progress with potty training, Mrs. Cupit." Miss Sara from day care told her when she came that day to pick up Lucie.

"Really, I've been getting the feeling she is very anti-potty training."

"Well today, she informed me of it each time she needed to go to the bathroom. Before she did. She's been telling us she has already for a while now, but today she started telling us she had to."

"That's fantastic!" Katy smiled at Miss Sara. "Lucie, I hear you're turning into a big girl on me." She grinned at Lucie who had come running over.

"I'm a bid girl!" Lucie shouted happily back.

"But do you know what comes with being a big girl?" Katy asked as she put Lucie in the stroller. "No more diapers. So it's really good that you're telling Miss Sara you have to go to the bathroom. Now you have to tell Mummy, too, okay?"

"Okay." Lucie said happily, she wasn't really paying attention though; she was stroking Lily's hair, smiling fondly down at her.

* * *

There was a message on the machine when Katy and Lucie got home. Ellen had invited them to dinner. She said James would be there in the message. Katy wondered how much of what had happened between her and James Ellen knew. She guessed most of it by the tone of voice with which Ellen had said James would be there.

"Alex, bring the potatoes in and please be careful! Use a hot pad, the pan will burn you! Michael, you bring the water and then everyone come back in here to bring out the rest!" Katy smiled; it looked a bit like Ellen was directing troops as she sent her two sons back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room to bring out dinner. Lucie was sitting in the old high chair Ellen had found in the basement from when her boys were little.

"So, James tells me you need to learn to drive."

"No, I don't need to." She frowned over at him. He was grinning sweetly back at her. He clearly knew she didn't need to. "I just never learned, but I don't really want to."

"Why in heaven's name not?"

"Cars sort of scare me."

"You ride in the car with us just fine." James said.

"Only in town, I won't go on the highway."

"Why?" James asked.

"Too fast, everything goes to fast and if you get in a crash…" she trailed off.

"Alright, you don't have to drive." James shrugged. "But if you ever want to learn, just tell me."

"Will do." She smiled at him. "Lucie," she turned to her daughter. "Why don't you put Lily down and then you can have some food too."

"No Mummy, Lily has no seat!" Obviously it was out of the question to leave Lily on the floor for a little while. "You hold her, Mummy!" Lucie said and held Lily out for Katy to take. She did so, hoping no sadness flickered across her face as she did so.

* * *

"Do you know Daddy and I got married four years ago, today?" Katy asked Lucie's sleeping figure as she stroked her cheek on Christmas Eve. "I had never been as happy as I was on that day." She sighed. "I loved him with all my heart. Just like you. And I thought he loved me too." She felt a few tears roll down her cheek and feeling each one make its way down was like a physical pain. "What do you think?" She asked Lucie. "Do you think Daddy loved me? I know he loved you. Whatever he turned out to be, he loved you. Don't ever doubt that your father loved you. I'm sure you'll find out who he really is one day. And when you do, when you are ashamed of your father and you know he did those horrible things, at least know that he loved you. Maybe he didn't love Peter, maybe he didn't love James and Lily, maybe he didn't love me, but he loved you, Lucie, he did." She leaned down and kissed Lucie once and then turned and left the room. "Happy anniversary to me," She sighed and went downstairs to put the little pieces of chocolate and toys in the stocking she had for Lucie.

* * *

"Guess who came last night?" Katy smiled as she went to get Lucie the next morning.

"Santa!" Lucie shouted and jumped up and down to be released from the crib. Katy carried her downstairs and set her down. Lucie jumped on the stocking and began pulling small packages out of it. When she had finished the stocking, she turned to the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. In order to not think about the fact that there were people she would have wished to be there missing, Katy had bought far more presents for Lucie than needed. James had also bought her quite a few things, Ellen had sent them a few packages, but Ellen, Alex, Michael and James were all coming over later that morning, so Katy pulled Lucie away from the tree.

"Lucie, you are me are going to eat breakfast and then James and Ellen and the boys are coming and we'll open those presents then, alright?"

At ten thirty, the doorbell rang and Lucie wanted to answer it. It took her a full minute to negotiate with the doorknob, but she finally managed to turn it and pull at the same time and the door swung open and knocked her backwards where she hit the wall.

"Mummy!" She wailed as Katy hurried to pick her up. "Mummy, the wall hit me!"

"Actually, Lucie, you hit the wall, but I bet it hurt. Are you okay, sweetie?"

"Yes, Mummy!" Lucie said and pulled out of her arms, leading the way over to the tree. "Me first!"

"Lucie, that isn't very nice."

"James, you're the closest, you get to be Santa Claus." Ellen said when they all sat down.

"He's Santa?" Katy asked.

"Every year at Christmas at our house, one of us is Santa, but it just means they have to wear the hat and pass out the presents." Ellen laughed and pulled a Santa Claus hat out of her bag and handed it James. He put it on and sat down next to the tree.

"First one is…" he grabbed a large box. "For Lucie!"

"What a surprise." Katy laughed. "I bet there are only about ten presents under there for the rest of us together."

Lucie grabbed the box and began ripping at the paper. Inside was a little plastic tea set Katy had bought for her. The next box was also for Lucie. Then another for Lucie. Then one for Alex. Then Lucie, then Lucie, Lucie, Lucie, Michael, Ellen, Lucie, Lucie, James, Katy, Lucie, Katy, Lucie, Lucie, James, Lucie, Ellen, Alex and so it went. After they were done, they all ate lunch together and then Ellen left with Alex and Michael.

"There's one more." James told Katy and he pulled a flat, velvet box from out of his pocket. Katy opened it. Inside was a necklace, a beautiful necklace, it was on a silver chain with three diamonds hanging from a pendent in the middle. It was perfect, simple and lovely.

"Thank you." She whispered, glancing around but Lucie was completely engrossed in attempting to wrestle Lily into the new outfits she had been given for her. Katy leaned up and kissed James once. He leaned down and kissed her again. She kissed him back and then all of a sudden there was a wicked little giggle from below them and they pulled apart to see Lucie grinning up at them.

"Lucie… did you get Lily's dress on?" Katy asked and James snorted.

"I love you Mummy." Lucie said.

"I love you too, sweetheart." Katy replied. Lucie skipped out of the room, humming a little song of her own composition. "Strange child, my daughter." Katy smiled. Lucie reappeared in the doorway.

"Let's doh, Mummy." She took hold of Katy's hand and pulled her out of the room.

* * *

"Lucie!" Katy shouted that afternoon, she and James were making lunch, although he was currently getting something out of the pantry. Lucie had picked up a large bread knife. "Lucie, you know you are _never_ allowed to touch that! Put it down!"

Lucie dropped the knife at once, howling. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and began to suck on them.

"What are you doing?" Katy frowned at her daughter. Lucie wiped the tears of pain out of her eyes as she held out her hand. It was the hand she had been holding the knife in and the entire thing was painfully burnt. The knife had burned her. Katy carefully touched the knife but it was a normal temperature.

"Why you do dat, Mummy?!" Lucie glared at Katy.

"Do what?"

"You made it habben!" Lucie shouted and angry tears replaced the pained ones. "You made the knife bite me!" She turned and ran out of the room, still holding her hand tenderly in the other.

Katy stared at the knife. Lucie didn't remember about magic, or at least not on a conscious level, so how would she have come to the conclusion that Katy made the knife burn her? But then, Katy thought with horror, she _must_ have made the knife burn Lucie. As much as she liked to pretend otherwise, deep down Katy knew that you couldn't just get rid of magic.

Lucie had to be right: Katy had told her to put the knife down and yelled at her for it and then the knife burned her badly. There was no reason for the knife to be hot; Katy telling her to put it down must have made it happen.

"Did I hear something about Lucie being bit by a knife?" James asked, coming in the kitchen. "Is she okay?" He looked quite worried.

"She hasn't been cut, if that's what you're wondering." Katy said.

"Well then what happened? I saw her running out of the kitchen and she was holding her hand and looked like she was crying.

"I don't know…" Katy began and turned away from him. She hadn't done accidental magic since she was ten years old. And when she had everyone had been pleased. She wasn't sure how to explain it away. "The knife burned her, or at least, she thinks it does. Maybe she touched the stove while she was picking it up." Katy gestured at the stove.

"The stove is off…" James frowned at her.

"Well I just turned it off." She said quickly.

"Okay…" He looked confused. "Is she okay?"

"I think we need to get some ice or something on that burn." Katy said. Apparently Muggles put ice on burns. "Lucie?" She called, walking out of the kitchen. Lucie was in the living room trying her best not to cry. "Lucie, sweetheart, come here." Katy opened her arms and Lucie came running over. "Let's go and make that better, alright?" Katy smiled, kissing her daughter's fingers. James had a plastic bag full of ice ready for them when they got back to the kitchen.

_So i hope you like it! I thought I needed to show Katy accidentily using magic... and what did you think about what she said to Lucie on xmas eve? _

_Please review!_

_Lily_


	84. Chapter 81

_So i don't have too much to say here... but part of why i am putting two up at once is because very shortly it will harder for me to upload... but don't worry, i'll try and keep it up good! There aren't very many chapters left and then we move to the sequel!_

Chapter 81

All in all, Katy fared much better on Lily and James' birthdays than she had the previous year. She had severely startled a customer on Lily's birthday – she had decided maybe if she went to work, she would make it through the day faster – by bursting into tears when the main character of the book they wanted was revealed to be called Harry. She put books away in the wrong places, she rang up prices incorrectly, she was distracted all day because she was trying so hard not to be distracted. On James birthday she had done a little better, she hadn't cried at work, she put everything where it belonged and she didn't attempt to charge people strange amounts. She just dropped books every three seconds. Any book that was handed to her ended up on the ground with a loud bang. And she managed, multiple times, to drop piles of books in humorous comic book style explosions of books raining down from improbable directions. She was given the day off around noon.

Katy was still having a battle in her mind about James. Most of her thought he was great and helped her live for real and loved that he was a way to stop bursting into tears every time she heard the name James, but a small part of her was screaming every time she was with him. The small part that was still rooting for Sirius to be released. That part also said it was weird that James was called James, it was wrong for her to be having feelings and thoughts like that for someone who was called James. But she knew it was better to be with him than not. She was ten times happier than she had been in early spring the previous year.

Lucie continued to be an avid puddle jumper, although now that she was bigger, three and a half, she made a much larger splash and soaked anyone and anything that was remotely close to her with each jump. Lily still went everywhere with her and consequently received a doll sized raincoat from James. Lucie had called James "Daddy" a couple of times, actually rather routinely, but never to his face so far and Katy was glad about that. She didn't know how he would react to it or how she would react to him hearing it. It unnerved her to hear it without him around and she was sure it would be much worse if he was there.

* * *

"Mummy?" Lucie said one morning in early May, wandering into the living room where Katy was reading. She put her book down and looked up. She was no longer surprised, she didn't react nearly as much when she saw Lily being tugged along behind Lucie, but something about the doll still made her nervous.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She said and Lucie ran over to her.

"C'I tell you a secret?" She giggled.

"Of course." Katy smiled, Lucie's secrets were always amusing.

"I'm gonna get a puppy." She whispered loudly and wetly into Katy's ear.

"What makes you say that?" Katy said. She did not want a dog. That would be too hard. There was a dog that lived across the street from them and Lucie adored it. But Katy did not want a dog.

"Cause I can have whatever I want for my birfday." Lucie beamed at her. "Daddy said so." She answered happily.

"Lucie, he isn't Daddy." Katy said with a frown. She rather wanted to stop this little habit.

"But he said I can have a puppy!" She stomped her foot and frowned at Katy.

"Well then he and I need to have a little chat." Lucie's eyes widened. That meant he was in trouble to her brain. Whenever Katy said something about having a little chat, it meant Lucie was in trouble.

"No, Mummy!" She waved her arms frantically. "Don't put him on time out!"

"Who's on time out?" James himself appeared in the doorway. "Sorry, the door was unlocked, I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all, and no one, but apparently I am not allowed to put _you _on time out." She smiled at him.

"What did I do?" He asked, looking down at Lucie.

"You said I could have a puppy!" Lucie grinned at him through her legs having bend down to look upside down through them at his approach, perhaps she found that easier than just turning around.

"Lucie," James began, but he cast a guilty look at Katy.

"You didn't actually tell her she could have a puppy, did you?" Katy frowned.

"I said I would get her whatever she wanted for her birthday and she said she wanted a puppy."

"If she told you she wanted a gun would you buy her one?" Katy asked.

"Puppies don't hurt anyone."

"They hurt me." Katy muttered under her breath. "I just don't want a dog." She said louder.

"I want a puppy, Mummy! Not a doggy." Lucie grinned at her as if this argument made perfect sense.

"Yes, but, Lu, puppies turn into dogs."

"Not mine." Lucie countered.

"You'll be hard pressed to find a dog that never ages, Lucie." Katy told her.

Lucie grinned up at Katy.

"C'mon, Mummy! Let's go puppy buying!"

"Whoa, slow down there, sweets, we aren't getting a puppy."

"Please, please, please, please Mummy!" Lucie begged, rushing over to Katy and taking a firm and desperate hold on her knees and looking hopefully up at her.

"Not fair, Luey, that face works too well. Go bother James instead." Katy leaned down and kissed Lucie on the head. Lucie kept staring sweetly and hopefully and innocently up at her and it broke her heart, she had seen that face many times before. On someone she wanted, ninety nine percent of the time, to forget. Then all of a sudden Lucie jumped up, seeming to take the kiss as affirmation of the puppy buying expedition.

"We getting a puppy!" She sang happily to James who laughed at Katy.

"I think you're getting a puppy, Kate, she won't easily be deterred."

"This is all your fault." Katy groaned. "She knows you give her whatever she wants."

* * *

"Mummy?" Lucie asked one morning about a week later, she still hadn't given up on a puppy but had stopped begging for one every five seconds. "Mummy I want Daddy back." Katy's head shot up. Then she tried to comfort herself with the thought that Lucie had been calling James Daddy so maybe she just wanted James to come over.

"James is coming later this evening. He's going to play with you for a little while and then Charlotte is coming cause James and I are going out together tonight."

"No Mummy, eveybody else has a daddy. Where goed my daddy? When's he coming back?"

"What do you mean coming back, sweetheart?"

"If eveybody has a daddy, I gotta have one too, so when's he coming back?" Lucie asked calmly. Katy was beginning to allow herself to hope Lucie didn't remember having a daddy and was just curious why not.

"Your daddy had to go away for a very long time." Katy said slowly. "And he isn't going to come back, love."

"But why?"

"Because he had to."

"But why?"

"He couldn't stay with us anymore."

"But why?"

"He… he didn't want to." Katy had no real answer to give Lucie so she tried to make one up.

"Why not?" Lucie put her hands on her hips and gave Katy the stubborn but doubtful look she knew so well. "Mummy, why not?" She frowned.

"Because… he didn't…" She trailed off slowly, trying to come up with something. "Like Billy from school, you know that his parents don't live together. It's like that."

"Daddy lives 'round the corner?" Lucie jumped up excitedly. "Let's go see him!" Billy-from-school had divorced parents who lived around the corner from each other.

"No, Lu, Daddy doesn't live around the corner, he doesn't live near here. We aren't ever going to see him again, he's gone, okay?"

"No, Mummy! I want a daddy! Just like the other kids! It's not fair!" Lucie said and then burst into tears that startled Katy. Lucie ran over to her and jumped in her lap and cried.

"Tell me about it." Katy muttered to herself as she stroked Lucie's hair and wondered what brought on this sudden, unfortunate need for a father.

* * *

"What happened here?" James asked that afternoon. He had come over to find Katy reading a book in the living room and Lucie sleeping on the floor. "She never sleeps out of her bed unless there's a problem." He frowned at Katy.

"She _did_ have a problem and I have no idea where it came from." Katy said and put her book down. "She started asking me why she didn't have a father. I didn't know what to say." Katy looked down.

"She's too young to understand, isn't she?" He asked and Katy gaped at him. Of course Lucie was too young to understand, Katy herself could hardly understand. "I guess when you're three death doesn't mean much." Katy's mouth closed abruptly. She had forgotten that James thought her husband had died. "I'm so sorry, Kate! I don't mean to talk about it if it's too hard."

"No, no, it's fine." Katy whispered. "I told her we were like Billy's family." She took a deep breath. "You know, cause of what you said, she doesn't know what death means." As she spoke, Katy's eye fell on the Lily doll, which made her want to cry. She did not like seeing that doll.

* * *

"What's dat?" Lucie asked Katy. She was running one of her little fingers down the long scar on Katy's right arm. It had faded mostly but you could still see it.

"Do you remember last week when you fell down and you were bleeding?" Katy asked. Lucie nodded seriously. "And then I put a band-aid on your arm, remember? And when we took it off a few days ago, the skin was pink there, wasn't it?" Lucie nodded. "Well, Mummy has something like that. From a long time ago."

"Did you have a really, really, really, really big band-aid, Mummy?" Lucie grinned. Katy laughed and nodded.

"A huge one, as big as you."

Just then the phone rang. Katy knew who it would be and what it would be about and she didn't want to answer it. Somehow, James and Lucie had convinced her that they could at least go and look at a puppy. She still protested that it wasn't Lucie's birthday for a few months, but James thought maybe if they just went and looked at puppies that Lucie would be satisfied. Katy had no idea what had possessed her to agree, but Lucie knew about the plan so there was no backing out now.

"Hello?"

"I'm out front, you two ready?"

"Yeah, we'll be out in a sec." Katy said and hung up. She scooped up Lucie and put some sandals on her and then grabbed some sandals of her own and hurried outside. In the car James kissed her in greeting and they drove off. By the end of May, Katy had decided it was stupid to keep pushing away her feelings for James and, while it made her feel sixteen again to think it, she would officially call him her 'boyfriend'. She wondered if that was why Lucie had started calling him Daddy. Her friends at school all called the man who kissed their mother's hello and goodbye Daddy so maybe Lucie thought that she was supposed to also.

At the pet shop, Lucie ran straight over to the dogs.

"Mummy, pick him, please Mummy!" Immediately, Lucie pointed at the only black dog in the entire store.

"He is a sweet little thing, isn't he, Luc?" James asked, bending down to look at the dog with Lucie. Neither of them noticed the tears on Katy's face as she looked at that little black puppy. There was no way that dog could come home with them. It would remind her too much of another black dog she had once known.

"How about a different one, Lucie?" Katy suggested timidly, after having wiped all the wetness from her eyes.

"No!" Lucie frowned up at Katy. "Black one!"

"Why the black one?" Katy asked.

"Black like Daddy." Lucie said at once and Katy froze.

"Black like what?" She asked, bending down so that her face was level with Lucie's and taking a firm grip on Lucie's arms. "Black like what, sweetie?"

"Like Daddy!"

"What is she talking about?" James asked.

"No idea." Katy said quickly and looked him in the face, begging him to wake her up and have it all be a dream. "What do you mean, Lucie?"

"He's black like Daddy is!" Lucie answered with a beam and went back to eyeing the black puppy.

"I'm sorry, Lucie, you can't have that dog." Katy said quietly.

"Mummy, I want that doggy!" Lucie looked up at Katy, her lips trembling. "Black doggy, daddy doggy, doggy, doggy, daddy, black." She began singing to herself.

"What's the problem with the black dog, Kate?" James asked.

"She just can't have it." Katy said, doing her best to keep her voice calm. "Let's go home, maybe we can buy a puppy another day." And, though it did not go over well with Lucie, Katy lifted her up and carried her out of the store.

"Stop, Mummy! Stop! Stop!" Lucie squealed as they walked back to the car.

"Katy, what are you doing?" James asked

"She can't have that dog!" Katy said and tears came back into her eyes. James saw them and she didn't even try to hide them. "She just can't."

* * *

"Lucie, I need to talk to you, alright?" Katy asked that evening. Lucie nodded solemnly and sat down comfortably in the chair Katy had set her in. "What did you mean today, when you said the black dog was like Daddy?"

"I have no Daddy." She frowned at Katy as if Katy was the one who was saying Lucie had a father. "No Daddy for Lucie." She smiled at Katy.

"But then why did you say the dog was like Daddy."

"Daddy is a doggy." Lucie nodded importantly as if she knew something very special. "Big, black daddy doggy."

"Why do you think that Lucie?"

"True, true, true." Lucie smiled at her mother, completely unaware of the painful emotions now raging through Katy. "Daddy doggy, Daddy doggy, Daddy doggy." And she hopped off the chair and skipped out of the room singing about her father the big black dog.

Katy stayed crouched on the ground staring at the now empty chair. Why did Lucie remember? How did Lucie remember? It had been almost two years since Lucie had seen any magic and almost three years since she had seen her father. Why would she remember that? She never asked about the magical world anymore. She had forgotten. Lucie had become a Muggle child, though she did perhaps have, as her day care teachers put it, a rather lively imagination.

_Does that seem way too unrealistic? I think children remember a lot more than we think they do. _

_Please review!! They make me happier all day to read!_

_~Lily_


	85. Chapter 82

_So I am really really sorry about the whole always-taking-ages-to-update thing... but now where i live the internet is really bad and i have like no time on it... but here i am, updating at the first possible time!_

_thank you so much to all and any who reviewed!_

_HarryPotterResidentEvilFanJnL: wow baby that's a long name to type out! haha. thank you for reviewing so many times!!!!!! well this one is pretty close to finished... i have actually finished writing it... but will not be updating all the chapters right now... :D yeah i had fun writing the notes and i loved lily's point of view too! i miss writing her! but yes, she is dead and therefore unwritable. :(_

_and to any and all who have reviewed informing me of lily's correct bday... yeah, i know i should go back and change it from the one chapter in the beginning where i just made one up cause i didn't know what it was... but now i always have it jan 30th!_

_oh and yes, i know time has passed fast. i was starting to really really want to be on the sequel and so made months fly by in a second... which means lots has happened in between this chapter and the last... but you will learn it. i promise.  
_

Chapter 82

"Mummy, I want to call Daddy." Lucie announced the morning of her fourth birthday. She was still calling James "Daddy" but fortunately he didn't mind. He loved it.

"Why do you want to call Daddy?" Katy had stopped fighting it. "You're going to see him at your party this afternoon."

"I know Mummy, but maybe he fordot!"

"If anyone in this town forgot it's your birthday today, _he_ is not that person. You know he's probably going to show up with an entire circus."

"Please Mummy!" Lucie begged. "Please call Daddy for Lucie!"

"Alright, we'll call Daddy." Katy sighed and punched the numbers in the phone and handed it to Lucie.

"Hello?" she heard coming from through the phone.

"IT'S MY BIRFDAY!!!" Lucie roared into the phone.

"Happy Birthday, Lucie," James' voice said.

"I'm four today!" Lucie said excitedly. "Know what? I'm almost as old as you are!"

Katy was laughing and so didn't hear the next question, but, based on Lucie's response figured it was something along the lines of "how do you figure that one out?"

"Cause I'm four now and your twenny-four and so all you dotta do is det rid of the two and then we're the same age!"

James said something else Katy didn't hear.

"Yup, I know dat." Then a pause. "No, no! Please no!" Another pause. "I will!" Then Lucie hung up the phone. "Daddy says he loves you." She beamed up at Katy.

"Well, if you hadn't just hung up on him, I could tell him I love him back."

"Do you, Mummy?" Lucie asked.

"I do love him, Lucie." Katy smiled and kissed Lucie on the forehead. "But today I love you more, today is all about you, right?"

"Yeah! All about me!" Lucie giggled madly. "When does Sobie come?"

"Sophie's coming at three, just like all your other friends." Sophie was Lucie's best friend and the two girls played together most days after school.

"And Daddy, too, right?" Lucie asked seriously as this was really a question.

"Of course he's coming, Luey, do you think he would miss your birthday party for the world?"

"Maybe." Lucie frowned. "What if his mummy died?"

"Lucie! Why would think that?"Katy frowned at her daughter who was apparently unaware that what she had said was not nice.

"But it's true!" Lucie said. "I wouldn't go to Sobie's birfday if my mummy died."

"And that makes me feel great, I'm sure." Katy smiled.

"Cause I love you, Mummy!"

"I love you to, sweetheart."

* * *

"Kate, how big is the front lawn?" James asked on the phone about an hour later.

"Why?" Katy frowned.

"I got something for the party and I want to make sure it will fit."

"My god, James, what did you buy?"

"It's a surprise!" he said.

"Why do I put up with you, you're infuriating." She laughed.

"I promise it's good." He said in what was clearly supposed to be a mysterious voice. "Just tell me how big your from lawn is."

"I have no idea. You've seen it."

"Yeah, but like in feet?"

"No idea." Katy said. "You can come over and measure if you want."

"I'm think I will." James hung up and less than five minutes later, Katy saw his car pull up in front of her house.

"Run over any little kids in your hurry to get here?" Katy asked as she walked out the front door.

"Where's Lucie?" James asked and leaned forward to kiss Katy. "I don't think I get to do that when the little kids are here."

"No, I'd say not." Katy grinned and kissed him back. "Lucie's upstairs trying to decide what to wear."

"I thought she wasn't supposed to do that until she was a teenager."

"She can't decide if she wants to wear her pink princess dress with the pink feathery crown of the blue princess dress with the blue jewelly crown." Katy laughed. "I imagine she won't be doing that when she's sixteen." But as she said it, Katy realized she already knew what most of the clothes Lucie would wear when she was sixteen would look like, she would have to wear Hogwarts robes almost every day. Katy quickly forced that thought out of her head, maybe Lucie was a Squib. "So what exactly are you measuring?"

"The lawn right here," James went to his car and pulled out a tape measure. "Can you hold this?" he handed Katy the end and began backing up across the lawn. "Perfect!" he said when he saw the length. "Now the other way." They turned and tried it again. "Good," he rolled up the tape measure. "It will be perfect, we have a few feet extra so we just put it in the corner and then there will be space to get in and out."

"Get in and out of _what_?" Katy asked.

"Wait and see." He said in a sing-songy voice. "Now let's go and help the little princess dress."

James grabbed her hand and pulled her in the house. They found Lucie in her room acting comically teenage. She was standing in the middle of the room wearing only her underwear and a pair of sparkly shoes with her hands on her hips, frowning at the two dresses in question.

"How's the birthday girl?" James said grabbing her and spinning her in the air. Lucie shrieked with happiness and laughed wildly.

"Put me down!" She said after a little while. He set her down and she pulled him onto the floor next to her. "I have a bid problem." She said seriously. "I don't know what I want to wear to my birfday party!"

"That is serious." James nodded gravely. "Well, I think you should wear the pink one, because honestly, what's more fun than feathers?" he winked at Katy.

"Awful, awful man," She shook her head but felt a blush rising up her cheeks.

"Yeah!" Lucie said and jumped up. "I love feathers!"

"So do I." James grinned again and Katy rolled her eyes.

"Mummy, help me!" Lucie commanded.

"You know you aren't really a princess, Lu."

"'Course I am, Mummy, it's my birfday, I can be whatever I wanna be!"

"I suppose on your birthday it's okay." Katy smiled and pulled the dress over Lucie, zipping it up in the back. "There you go." She kissed Lucie's head. "Now you need your crown, love." Lucie wrenched the crown out of James' hands so hard that a few feathers fell out and floated gracefully to the floor. Lucie giggled and tried to catch them and throw them up in the air some more.

"Alright, Lucie, I have to go, but I will be back before all your other friends come cause I have a special surprise for you."

"You're my favorite person in the whole wide huge world, Daddy!" Lucie shouted.

"Hey!" Katy said.

"Ha ha, she likes me better." James smirked at Katy and kissed her.

"How can she be a Daddy's girl when you aren't even really her daddy?" Katy shoved him off.

"Cause I'm magic. I never told you but I'm magic, and I've magicked her to love me better. I can make anyone love me with just a wave of my hand." He grinned and waved his hands around. Katy tried her very best to smile back. She was not going to cry on her daughter's fourth birthday. She was not.

"Mummy!" Lucie said and tugged on Katy's skirt. "Mummy, I'm hungry."

"Me too," Katy reached down and picked Lucie up. "What do you want to eat? James, are you eating with us?"

"Yes!" Lucie said and poked James on the shoulder. "You better eat with us, Daddy, cause I'm the pincess and I say you have to eat here or I'll chop off your head."

"Where are you getting all these ideas from Lucie? First the dead mother, now the beheading. What are they teaching you at day care?"

"No, Mummy! I got to school now, day care is for babies."

"Right, sorry, and you are not a baby anymore, you are a big a girl and you don't wear diapers and you don't go to day care."

"Right, Mummy." Lucie grinned up at Katy.

"So are you staying or do you need to go work on the big surprise?" Katy asked James as they walked down the stairs.

"Well if my head is going to be chopped off if I go, I guess I'd better stay." He laughed. "So what are we having? Macaroni and Cheese?" He ruffled Lucie's hair.

"No, Daddy!" She pushed his hand away. "No! You're messing up my t'ara." She could never say tiara, she had no idea how to make those two vowel sounds together.

"Oh, right, sorry."

* * *

"Alright, now get out of here and see you at three." Katy smiled as she pushed James out the door after lunch. "Lucie, I need you to play by yourself for a little while, Mummy still has some things she has to do, okay?"

"Okay!" Lucie grinned at her and hurried into the living room to tell Lily all about her birthday.

Lily was not in as pristine shape as she had been when Lucie received her. One chunk of her hair had been ripped off and she had a permanent brown smudge on her face that no amount of bleach and scrubbing could fix. There was a dent in one of her arms and some of the stuffing in her body had come out and Katy had been forced to sew her back together a few times. Katy hated the Lily doll. It made her want to cry every time she saw it. Why did it have to be called Lily? Why did it have to look destroyed? Lucie didn't understand why her mother didn't adore her doll as much as she did, but that did nothing to stop the alarming amount of love Lucie felt for the doll.

At two thirty, Katy heard a very strange noise coming from her front yard. She opened the door and saw James busy assembling his surprise. It was one of those blow-up jumping get-ups that you saw at carnivals. It was in the shape of a castle. Lucie would go nuts over it.

"James, whatever made you buy that?" Katy asked, walking down into the sunshine.

"I thought Lucie would like it. She will, won't she?"

"Are you kidding? She's going to love it."

"Good." He smiled and kissed Katy. "What time do the other kids get here?"

"Half an hour." Katy glanced at her watch.

"Well, then, you and I can try this sucker out before it's full of kids we'd smash."

"Wouldn't we break it?" Katy giggled.

"Nah, but we should get Lucie. With just one little kid, I think we can be careful."

"Lucie?" Katy went back in the living room. "Come on, Daddy has a surprise for you." Lucie shot up and dragged Lily roughly after her. Katy winced to see the doll's face smacking into the doorframe as Lucie ran outside.

"Daddy!" Lucie squealed when she saw her present. "Now I'm a real pincess! I have my own castle, Mummy! Look, Mummy!"

"Come on, we're going to jump in it." James grinned and scooped up Lucie and threw her inside. Lucie shrieked and giggled.

"Hey! Stop it!" She shouted for James had grabbed her feet and pulled her back to the entrance.

"No shoes allowed." He told her and slipped off her princess shoes. She went back inside. "You know you want to jump in this thing." James smiled sideways at Katy who sighed and slipped off her own sandals.

It was fun. The blow-up castle did not break when Katy and James were jumping in it and Lucie thought it was the best thing in the whole wide world. She said so. Many times.

The other kids loved it too. They all came at a few minutes past three and the castle was all anyone wanted to do. Katy poked her head in to announce it was time to eat cake and nearly got killed by fifty flying children all shouting at the top of their lungs. After cake no one was allowed in the castle for a little while as flying children was one thing but barfing children was quite another.

Lucie fell asleep almost immediately that night. It was too warm in the house, September first had still been as hot as the hottest day in August, so Katy had quietly gone outside where James was still sitting. He wasn't out there when she went outside, she couldn't see him at all.

"James?" She asked, frowning at the darkening yard.

"I'm in here, it's really comfortable." His voice floated out of the magic jumping castle. Katy laughed and kicked off her shoes to join him. He was laying flat on his back with his eyes closed, he would have looked asleep had he not started smiling when he heard and felt her climb in.

"This _is_ comfortable." Katy lay down next to him. "And they think these are only good for children, do they?" She grinned.

Looking up, she could see the stars, there was no roof on this castle, perhaps it was just the courtyard. Katy didn't know how long she and James lay there but then she all of a sudden she was being woken up because it was raining. She and James both sat up, scooting to the side of the castle, hoping to get out of the rain. Katy glanced at the watch on her wrist; it was nearly two in the morning.

"I want to go to bed." She told him and they got out of the jumper. Katy slipped her shoes back on and he followed her into the house. "Are you staying here or going home?" She asked.

"Staying, I don't want to go." He kissed her.

"Good." She smiled and kissed him back. The two of them went upstairs. James had some pajamas at her house and both of them got changed and crawled into her bed. Katy fell asleep again almost immediately but she dreamed about jumping and laughing in the blow up castle again and she was having more fun than she had ever had and then she noticed that the other person in the blow up castle was Sirius and she woke up crying. James was awake next to her and although she tried to wipe it off without James noticing, she knew he saw, he probably heard her crying and woke up because of it, but he didn't ask her anything and for that she was grateful.

_I really hope you aren't mad that i didn't show you guys a LOT of katy and james' relationship but i didn't want to have to spend chapters and chapters on it... i want to be keeping most of the focus on Lucie now... or at least half. :P_

_please please please review! they make my day! (wheni have internet access..)_

_Lots of love to you all,_

_Lily  
_


	86. Chapter 83

_oh lordy guys this was probably the best reviewing chapter EVER!!! thank you so much to everyone who reviewed. and i don't really have much to say here so i will just respond to the reviews and then we'll get on with the story._

_Ridingstar95: glad you like it, thanks for reviewing!_

_allison rae: oops, i thought i fixed that earlier.. thanks!_

_gcant2: yeah.. i figured a lot of people would not be too keen on james cause of sirius but i need him. and i hope i don't disappoint you too much. :P_

_Sirius' Sweetheart: sadly, Katy either cannot or will not be visiting Sirius in Azkaban.. partially because she is trying to push away her magic life and that would bring it all screaming back and somehow i get the feeling from the books, she would not have been allowed to._

_livelovelaugh993: i'm very flattered! and don't worry, the sequel is entirely lucie's years at hogwarts and most certainly her life beyond it._

_lexiz73: i guess it is sorta crazy for her to think sirius did it, but so does Remus. He spent 13 years thinking his best friend had got his other best friend killed by voldemort and killed his third best friend. and no, james will not be dumping katy. i'm sorry._

_dark moon: i'm always happy when i see your reviews! i'm glad you don't hate me or anything about james.. haha i can understand why lucie loving him could be annoying though. i can't tell you how glad i am that you think katy acts naturally! since i don't want to write something with 300 chapters, sometimes i wonder if i have made katy get over things too fast... but i am trying to show with her thinking about Sirius that she isn't over it all._

_lizzy: aw! that's sweet taht lucie reminds you of your niece. haha i won't pretend she may be a tiny bit spoilt too.. ah hooray! someone who likes that katy is with james! haha but really, i think it's cool that you like that._

_MissMarauder4487: i think i just fell in love with you. :D haha but taht review was like the coolest thing ever! I'm glad you liked the years at Hogwarts! they were really fun to write and i am quite looking forward to being back at hogwarts with Lucie (though i won't have as much freedom as there are already set events for those years)! haha i had soooo much fun with the "sirius, lily and james,katy" thing! :Pi hoped no one would find it too weird so hooray you liked it! i know! remus never has a relationship and my standards he deserves one so batta bing batta boom he got one. i do understand taht in lie 1 year i made lots and lots of terrible things happen... that was not so nice of me but it was cause of this muggle thing that you don't like so won't accept as a valid excuse. oh man, i'm sorry you hate james as much as voldemort... that was so not me intention with him. i have to say, i think it is very interesting that you just have this feeling katy will die but no way am i going to tell you if you're right or wrong... :P yes will (in the sequel) find out who her real father is and katy is never going to to try to convince her that james is her real father. lucie is always going to know she had a father that was not james. well whether or not katy marries james or anyone else with any other name she has no choice but to keep her last name... :P remember? i loved that review!! thank you so much for existinng!!_

Chapter 83

Katy was very proud of herself. She did not spend Halloween moping. She spent Halloween decorating the house with large paper spiders and pumpkins. She and James, and Lucie too, though not quite so successfully, had carved jack-o-lanterns and gotten covered in pumpkin strings. Then James had showed her how to bake the seeds to be eaten at night when it was cold. Katy thought that was a lovely tradition.

Lucie had decided to be a tiger for Halloween and she had a tiger suit that resembled the footie pajamas she had had as a very small child except this one had black and orange stripes and a hood with ears on it. Lucie wore it to school and when she came back; her face had been painted to look like a tiger's. Katy took about a hundred pictures of her.

"Mummy, what are you?" Lucie asked after the camera was finally put away.

"What do you mean, love?"

"What are you for Halloween?" Lucie asked.

"I'm nothing, I'm just taking you trick-or-treating."

"No! You dotta be something!" Lucie frowned.

"What could I be?"

"I don't know! You dotta say what you want to be!" Lucie looked around the room, perhaps for inspiration, Katy wasn't sure. "What's Daddy bein'?"

"I have no idea." Katy said. "Did he tell you he was dressing up?"

"No," Lucie frowned. "But I think he should be." She nodded firmly at Katy.

In the end, Katy and James both went as themselves, though Lucie was displeased by it. She got as much candy as always and Katy and James spent the evening after Lucie was in bed sifting through it and picking out what Katy wouldn't let her have. Katy had become rather fond of Mars Bars over the past few years and took every one she found. She and James got into an argument about which were better, Mars Bars or Snickers. Katy said a Snickers was just a Mars Bar with peanuts stuck in the caramel and the caramel was the best part so why foul it up with peanuts, but James thought the peanuts made it better. They went up to bed still arguing quietly but had to stop when they got to the top landing for fear of waking Lucie up.

* * *

"Right, well, I just have one more load of things to bring over and a couple more piles to get rid of and then I'm done!" James smiled at Katy and kissed her as he dumped a box of clothes on the floor in their bedroom. He had been slowly spending the last month and a half moving all his stuff from his own place and hers. It was almost empty and had a for sale sign up on the front yard.

"You don't have that much stuff. Are you sure that's everything?" Katy frowned. If she packed up all her life (not that she would admit to herself anymore that she had in fact done just that only two years previously) she would have needed quite a few more boxes.

"Well, I'm not a girl who needs a hundred thousand clothes."

"Guilty." Katy grinned. "Right, now do you know where Lucie is? I've lost her again."

"You really ought to keep better track of your daughter." He shook her head. "That's what… the third time this week?"

"Three is not that big a number!"

"Try telling Lucie that." James laughed.

"She's not obsessed with three anymore, she's four years old."

"Exactly, and if you try and tell her a number that is smaller than her age is not a big number, she will not be pleased." He smiled. "Now let's go and find the little princess."

They didn't have to look far, Lucie was in the backyard, sitting under the big tree crying.

"Lucie, honey, what happened?" Katy ran over to her. "You didn't try to climb the tree did you?"

"No!" Lucie raised a tear stained face. "I didn't, she did!" Lucie held up the Lily doll and Katy frowned at it. She could only guess Lucie had thrown the doll into the tree and it had come crashing down because otherwise how else would it look like that? Lily's dress was torn, her hair was full of branches and there were long black stripes of dirt on her arms and face. "She died!" Lucie exclaimed.

"No! Honey, look, Lily's just fine," Katy said quickly, wrenching the doll away from Lucie and trying to wipe the dirt off of her. Katy wondered why it was always this doll. Lucie had once before predicted the death of this doll and why did she have to have to called her Lily? And now Lily was all dirty and torn up and apparently dead, Katy was not going to think about it, she was doing very good, sometimes she could even forget about the life she used to have. She liked to think of it as Before because if she thought of it in any more concrete way it hurt too much, but Lucie would still accidently remind her of Before sometimes and the Lily doll was a rather constant reminder.

Katy handed the doll back to Lucie, dirt free and without sticks in her hair. Lucie took it with a beam at her and said, "Mummy, you're magic!"

"No I'm not, Lucie, no magic."

"Yes, cause Lily told me! Lily told me you're magic!" Lucie giggled, Katy knew she was just joking but it was still hard to laugh along with Lucie and James.

"So I've moved in with a witch, then, have I?" James smiled down at Lucie.

"Yeah, so watch out!" Lucie said with a grin. "If you're not nice she'll turn you into a toad!"

"I guess I should be careful." James straightened up and looked at Katy. "Katy, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, nothing." She said quickly.

"Kate, you're crying, something must be the matter."

"What?" She had not realized, she reached up and touched her face and sure enough, her cheeks were wet with tears. "Oh, I'm fine." She wiped her face off and smiled. "Honest." She added quickly because James didn't look like he believed her.

"Katy…"

"I'm fine, James, it's nothing. How about we do something else, Lucie, tree climbing is dangerous after all." She gestured at Lily and Lucie nodded, a serious look on her face.

"Let's go see Pup!" There was a new family who lived across the street from them and they had a dog who Lucie had named Pup. The Richardson family had a different name for the dog, but Lucie called him Pup and wanted to see him as often as possible. Katy wanted to see him as little as possible because Pup was a large, shaggy black dog. Katy suspected there was a subconscious reason why Lucie loved that dog so much, but Katy was just glad she hadn't decided to call him any of the things she had called… the other big, black dog in her life.

Katy was getting a new tactic for dealing with not wanting to think about things that made her sad. She wouldn't let herself think about them, she would give them new names or just refuse to actually let the thought with what something was called form in her mind. It worked quite well for her.

"I don't know, Luey, we saw Pup yesterday, let's let Mrs. Richardson have some time with her dog, maybe tomorrow." Katy called but Lucie was already running through the house out to the front yard. "Lucie stop!" Katy shouted because Lucie had started to run across the street without her. "Lucie you do _not_ cross the street without Mummy or Daddy, you know that!" Katy grabbed Lucie and pulled her back into their front yard.

"But Pup's right there, Mummy! We dotta doh see him!"

"_Gotta go_, Lucie, not dotta doh. You can say a 'g', I know you can."

"But we dotta! He's right there!"

"No, Lucie, we're going inside."

"But Mummy, I wanna see Pup!"

"But you know better than to cross the street without me, and you still tried to, so we're going inside to sit down."

"No, Mummy! I'm sorry, no time-out! I'm sorry, Mummy, I'm sorry! I love you Mummy!" Lucie hugged her tightly. "No Mummy, please, please, please, please!"

"Lucie, you broke the rules."

"Please, Mummy!" Lucie said and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. They sat down in the living room, Lucie on Katy's lap on couch. "Never adain, Mummy." Lucie said, stroking Katy's cheek with a very serious expression on her face. "I won't do that never adain, Mummy."

"Alright, no time-out this time, but if it happens again, I won't let you go to Sophie's on the weekends, okay?"

"Okay." Lucie nodded, a frown clouding her features.

"Alright, now give me a kiss and you're free to go." Katy smiled and Lucie giggled, gave her a rather wet kiss and hopped off her lap.

"What was all that?" James came in.

"She ran into the street without me." Katy frowned. "I told her if it happens again she can't see Sophie on the weekend."

"Fair enough, I suppose." He sat down next to her. "Why is your cheek all wet?"

"She gave me a kiss."

"Ah yes." Lucie, like all small children, gave rather wet kisses. James turned to look at her. "What's wrong, Kate? Please tell me. I've been paying closer attention these days to what sets you off, and it's almost always Lucie." Katy didn't turn to look at him, she couldn't meet his eye because she knew she would betray herself. "And…" he laughed quietly, "this is going to sound ridiculous," Katy was willing to bet it wouldn't. "But it's whenever Lucie talks about magic, that doll I gave her and the Richardson's dog. They don't seem to have anything to do with each other and I can't figure it out at all."

"I wish you wouldn't try." Katy told him, still staring at her lap. "Can I ask you to please do something for me?"

"I think I know what you're going to ask." He said.

"And can you do it?"

"No," he told her after a short silence. "I'm sorry, but I will always worry about you when you begin to cry about things that shouldn't be sad. I'll be worried if you cry about anything, actually, sad or not, cause I don't like to see you upset."

"Well, thanks," she smiled. "But, really, I don't want to talk about it. I need you to just accept that perhaps there is something… different… about me, but that's all."

"But there's something… I don't know… tragic, maybe?" Katy started to laugh.

"I'm tragic, am I?"

"You know what I mean. Sure there's something different about you, but something must have happened to you, something bad." Katy stopped laughing and hoped her face was not displaying how close to crying she was.

"No, no, I'm fine!"

"That's exactly what everyone says when they aren't: 'I'm fine'. Everyone knows that means 'I'm dying inside.'."

"Well, I am fine." She frowned at him. This was not a conversation she was keen on prolonging. "Please, James, please just let it rest."

"I will let it rest if you promise to tell me in the next decade."

Katy looked up, Lucie had just walked in. Within the next decade? That much she could promise. She'd have to. She'd have to tell quite a bit when the four year old in front of her got a Hogwarts letter. Katy wondered if someone would come, then she could pretend she didn't know about the magical world. Then she imagined the horror scene it would be if the person who came was someone like Professor McGonagall, what if it was someone who had known Katy? But still, within a decade was reasonable.

"Yes, I will tell you sometime in the next decade. I will tell you in just under seven years, or maybe it's eight, I'm not sure." She smiled.

"What on earth does that mean?"

"Ask me again in seven or eight years."

"You're maddening sometimes." He told her. She smiled back, this was just what she wanted, to put off this conversation until she had to. She would agree to talk in seven or eight years and wouldn't have to think about it until then.

_Please review!!! what do you guys think??_

_~Lily_


	87. Chapter 84

_So there is no apology enough for a month being gone, but i was on vacation so please try to forgive me. :D_

_When i got home and opened my email and i had a LOT of reviews it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!!_

_MissMarauder4487: well you don't have to be a fan of him.. but i will say he isn't going anywhere in the next few chapters, sorry._

_livelovelaugh993: why thank you!_

_gcant2: yeah, there are only like three more chapters left of this story and then it jumps to lucie getting her hogwarts letter and going to hogwarts and such! hopefully the sequel will start soon but i have a bunch of things coming up so i may wait a month or so...._

_MissChristinaBlack: i am glad you actually love this story! and sorry it made you cry... :(_

_Kylie: yay! kylie is way easier to type.. :P she will find out abut sirius all ingood time and it will have an effect on her and james. don't you worry. glad you loved it! teehee nice idea about the whole katy telling james and lucie early.. :D_

_darkmoon: i have been thinking it drags a bit too and that is why i am skipping a lot of things and there are very few chapters left to the end._

_okay, a note about the sequel! as i said to gcant2, i have a lot coming up inthe next few months, so i may wait a bit to really start uploading and concentrating on the sequel. i plan to start with a chapter with the same prologue as in this story, so i may create the story with that and theyn anyone interested in it, can alert it or something and then will know when i start updating regularly again. next year i can promise thigns will be more regular. this year was weird._

_thanks to everyone!!!!_

Chapter 84

"We talked about this last year, you know," Katy whispered, brushing the bright blonde curls, longer than they had ever been when Katy had had hair like that, off Lucie's face. Lucie wouldn't let Katy have them cut; she wanted long hair because she wanted to be just like Mummy. It was Christmas Eve and Lucie was asleep, James was downstairs still and Katy was letting out all the feelings she had kept bottled up all day. "Now it's been five years. Five years ago today that I married your dad. Your dad. I wonder what he's thinking right now. Do you think he knows its Christmas Eve? Is he happy he married me? Do you think he's sitting in prison wishing he had never married me or is he sitting there remembering me today? I don't think he can be. How could he have loved me, Lucie? Do you think it's possible? He was James' best friend for ten years, _ten years_, and then he goes and betrays him. He got him and Lily murdered after ten years. I'd known him for ten years as well, Lucie, but we'd only been married a year and a half. Maybe he regretted everything. Maybe he wished he sat on a different compartment and gone to Slytherin and never met all of us and become best friends with Snape." Katy found herself smiling and crying at the same time. "I mean it though, Lucie, I have no idea what your father ever felt for me, for anyone, except you, I know he loved you. You knew he loved you, you had that man wrapped around your little finger from the first day you were born to Halloween when you were one. It's not fair to you, he may have secretly hated the rest of us, but you deserved to have him there your entire life because he loved you. It isn't fair that you only got your dad for a year and two months, a year and one day less than two months, Lucie, that's all! I'll never leave you Lucie, not until I'm one hundred years old and you're grown and have kids of your own. I'll never leave you alone, never go without warning, never leave saying I'll be back in ten minutes and then never return." There was a distinctly bitter tone in Katy's voice. "I'll never do that to you! How could he have done that… to… to you? Not just to me, but how could he have done it to you? To you, to me, to James, to Lily, to Harry, to Peter, to _everyone_! And no one cared… I lost my husband, my love, you lost your father and no one stopped to pat us on the back and say they were sorry, they all just celebrated: You-Know-Who was gone! No one except Alice…" Katy's voice cracked. "Alice cared… Alice and Frank, they cared about us, they cared about me and you. And then you had a friend again, you had Neville… And then it was his cousin! His family must hate me! He and his cousin took everything from me! And I couldn't explain it to you Lucie, you were only two! How could I tell you we could never see Neville again? The year before we stopped being able to see Harry ever again and then it was Neville. I'm sorry Lucie. I know you're going to hate me when you find out the truth but I had to run away. I had to get away from that world and the only people left in it and I had to start again and forget everything. And I'm sorry I have to lie to you, to everyone, but I can't tell you the truth just yet." She laughed painfully. "According to the law, I'm forbidden from telling James anyway. I can tell you though, but I can't, I just can't, Lucie and I'm so sorry. I love you sweetheart." She leaned down and kissed Lucie's forehead. "Merry Christmas, love."

Katy stood up, wiped the tears off her face and turned around to see James standing in the doorway, a dumbstruck look on his face.

"He… he left you?" James stammered out after a few minutes of painful silence. "He left you two… didn't he?"

"What do you mean?" Katy asked, her voice cracking and constricted all at the same time.

"You… you said that… I came in and you said that you would never tell Lucie you were going out for ten minutes and never come back. Did he do that? How could he do that to you?"

"You… you don't understand… it wasn't like that!" Katy wasn't sure why she was defending him, but hearing James accuse him like that, she didn't like it. She hated him, true, but she was the only one allowed to hate him, not James and not Lucie.

"So you pretend he's dead… that's why you say he's dead… it's easier that way…" He had hit the nail on the head that time, but Katy didn't want to admit it.

"No, he is dead! You don't understand, please, stop, you don't understand." Katy begged him.

"That's why you don't like the doll… Lily… you knew someone named Lily and your husband did something to her and… to me? Why was I in that list? Katy, I don't understand…"

"I know you don't understand so just let it go, I was just really upset there, that was exaggerated, that's not how it really went, please, you don't understand." All she could repeat was 'you don't understand' because she had to convince herself that he hadn't heard enough to understand.

"Why do you have to lie?"

"You wouldn't understand… you can't understand… not yet… please…" Katy was starting to cry again, why, _why_ did he have to have overheard? "Later, much later. Please, you don't understand it."

"You said the law forbids you from telling me. Which law is this?"

"The law, the law, I can't tell you! The law says I can't! And if I tell you which law it is than I've broken the law! I can't tell you anything, you wouldn't understand it if I did!"

"Okay…" he looked terrified. "I'm going to just go t–"

"No!" Katy ran to him and grabbed his hands. "Please don't go, don't leave me, everyone leaves, no one stays for more than a few years, and now you've known me for two years, you've stayed longer than the others! Please!" she was sobbing into his shoulder.

"I just wanted to go to bed, Kate." He kissed her. "_I'm_ not going to walk out on you, whatever _he_ may have done." He said angrily.

"Don't! Oh, don't! You don't know what happened or why or what was going on, you don't understand!" Katy didn't know why she was determined not to let James be angry with him, she was sure if James knew the particulars he would hate Sirius even more, but somehow she just couldn't let James be angry, she just couldn't.

"Shhh," He kissed her and pulled her out of Lucie's room so the crying didn't wake her up. "Alright, Kate, I don't understand, but please, help me to, I know we agreed not for seven or eight years, a number which confuses me, but please Katy, you can't expect me to see you like this and let it go. And after hearing that…"

"You shouldn't have heard! You shouldn't have listened! Why were you listening? That was private, between me and Lucie!"

"I'm sorry, Katy, I'm sorry I heard it. But I did and I can't forget it, I don't think I will ever forget what you said tonight."

"Try," Katy whispered, "please, for me, please try… it was all a dream… a very bad dream… we have to forget it… forget it all, it never happened, none of it, alright?" she looked hopefully up at him, as if he could tell her yes and then it would all go away, it would have all never happened, it would all be gone, forgotten, a very bad dream.

"But Kate, it wasn't," he whispered and she pulled away from him.

"Yes! Yes, it was! It was a dream, it never happened!" she said, doing her very best to convince herself what she was saying was true. "Why is this happening?" she asked all of a sudden. "Why am I like this today? I'm usually fine, why did I lose it today?" She could answer the question, she knew the answer, the other days were not her wedding anniversary and today was. The other days had never had what had happened on this day.

Katy rolled onto her back and tried to remember what she had been doing at this time five years ago. She knew what she had been doing and she didn't know whether to blush or cry from the memory of it. She remembered what she had been doing Christmas morning before they had come to tell them that they had attacked them. She was determined after tonight to never mention any of their names again. To never even think them. From now on they would all be he, she and they.

"Katy, what's You-Know-Who mean? Or who is You-Know-Who? You said everyone was celebrating because You-Know-Who had gone. What does that mean? Where did he go? And why was that such a good thing?" James asked after a long silence. Katy couldn't answer; she couldn't make something up to answer that.

"G'night, James." She said softly and closed her eyes, praying that her sleep would be dreamless and knowing it wouldn't.

_Please review! the next chapter will take place a bit in the future... i'm skipping through a lot here! sorry it was so short!_

_pip pip!_

_Lily_


	88. Chapter 85

_Hello chappies! So that was yet another long period of time not updating... oops. Right then. Onto to review replies and then the chapter!_

_MissChristinaBlack: yeah... it was a bit short but this one is longer!_

_livelovelaugh: yup, at some point he had to learn a bit more. but don't get your hopes up, he's not about to learn the rest._

_Sirius' Sweetheart: well to tell the truth, i kind of want her to go to Azkaban and learn the truth too but she just can't... i'm doing everything in my power to keep things canon. no one in the whole wide world can know Sirius is innocent before Harry finds out, right?_

_MissMarauder4487: yeah... the thing with if katy can go back to doing magic shall be an interesting point in the sequel! :D and yes, she has a sort of hardish life._

_HarryPotterResidentEvilFanJnL: oh man! i feel really bad if you check every day for updates! perhaps i shall take the initiative to get better at that... :P katy will meet up with remus again too, all in good time. and there are not a lot of chapters left. but if i tell you how many, if will ruin the surprise when it comes! :D_

_Jessica: yeah, james is gonna find this out in a very slow sort of way! glad you like it!_

_gcant2: that is going to be a big question. how will katy react when she learns about sirius? i'm not giving anything away! _

_ageiko: i get your question. but katy is trying to refuse to admit to herself that the wizarding world ever existed (except for certain times like the last chapter) and saying that because she isn't part of that world anymore, that the law doesn't apply to her anymore takes away any good reason not to tell james about her life before. but yeah, i have no idea what other witches and wizards would do with muggle boy/girlfriends._

**Chapter 85**

"You were okay all day today," James observed to Katy one day in late March.

"Shouldn't I be?" Katy asked with a frown.

"You've always asked to have the twenty-seventh off before." He shrugged. "I expected you would this year too." Katy's body seized up.

"Today's the twenty-seventh?" she whispered.

"Yeah, March twenty-seventh."

"No, no, it can't be! It really can't be!" Katy was silent for a moment. "Is it?"

"Yes, Katy, it is the twenty-seventh. What's the deal with the twenty-seventh, anyway?"

"Nothing." Katy said far too quickly and he wouldn't have believed her anyway.

"Kate –" he began but she cut him off.

"No, James," her voice broke on his name, something it hadn't done years, she couldn't look at him, she had forgotten his birthday and here she was, saying his name. James' name hadn't caused her pain in over a year so why today? _Because you forgot about him, _said a little voice in her head. Katy tried to tell herself that was good, it was what she wanted. "I'm not going to tell you so you might as well satisfy yourself with thinking it's nothing so you don't worry."

* * *

"Lucie, come down here, please!" Katy called up the stairs and Lucie came bouncing down them.

"Know what, Mummy?" she beamed up at Katy.

"Just a moment, Luey, I've just been talking to Sophie's mother on the phone and they're going to take you to the zoo today, would you like to go?"

"Yes!" Lucie giggled loudly. "Lucie to the zoo, Lucie-loo, Lucie-zoo."

"Well, Lucie-loo, what did you want to say?"

"Nothing!" Lucie cackled madly as though she had really pulled something funny on Katy.

"Alright, then, time to get dressed." Katy picked her up. "My goodness, you're going to be too big for Mummy to carry pretty soon."

"I dot Daddy." Lucie said happily.

"So you don't care if I carry you or not?" Katy grinned at her and dropped her a few inches. Lucie shrieked and grabbed tightly onto Katy's shirt. "Is that how it works? You don't care?" Katy tried to look horrified but started to laugh and tickle Lucie who giggled as loud as she could, her blonde curls swinging as she wriggled in Katy's arms.

* * *

"Duess what?" Lucie announced to Katy and James one evening. She came into the living room wearing a summer dress, rain boots and she had a kitchen pot on her head. "I'm going to big dirl school in Spatober." She said proudly, beaming happily up at them. Katy leaned forward to take the pot off her head. "No, Mummy, no! I dotta have that!"

"Why?"

"Cause it's my brand new hat!" Lucie answered as though this were the plainest thing in the world.

"I see." Katy frowned. "And now, what one earth is Spatober?" she looked at James to see if he had any ideas but he looked just as confused as she was. Lucie gave them both a look that showed clearly this was supposed to be obvious. She took a deep breath and then spoke very quickly, all in one breath.

"Janry, Febry, March, Abril, May, June, Jully, Audust, Spatober, Otcember, N'fember, D'cember."

"That was probably the most creative recitation of the months of the year I have ever heard." James whispered to Katy who tried not to laugh.

"And what's all this about school?" Katy decided not to pursue the slight problems with Lucie's months just then.

"I detta doh to big dirl school in Spatober!" Lucie repeated happily.

"No, Lucie, you don't detta doh to big dirl anything. You can say 'big' correctly so I know you can say I _get_ to _go_ to big _girl_ school. Say 'dog' for me, Lucie."

"Dog." Lucie frowned.

"Good, now say 'get'."

"Det."

"No, Lucie, _g_et."

"De…" Lucie scrunched her whole face up. "ge…g…get!:

"Perfect, Lucie." Katy smiled. "Can you say 'I get to go to a big girl school'?"

"That's a bit hard, don't you think, Kate?" James asked.

"I GET to gdoh to a bid girl school!" Lucie said. "Did I do it right?" She asked with a worried frown.

"Almost." Katy said, trying not to laugh. "You said 'big' wrong, honey, you know that word."

"Big!" Lucie shouted.

"And you said 'girl' perfectly, sweetheart, I'm proud of you."

"I'm too!" Lucie grinned.

Katy noticed Lucie and James sitting together and talking more often than usual for long periods of time for a few weeks. She wasn't quite sure what it was all about and when she asked James he said, "We're just chatting" and wouldn't say any more than that. When she asked Lucie, Lucie laughed in a slightly creepy way and said, "Secret, secret, Lucie never tells!"

* * *

Katy went out to lunch one afternoon in early May with Ellen. James was picking Lucie up from day care and meeting Katy and Ellen at the restaurant afterwards.

"Lucie's never kept a secret from me before." Katy told her as she recounted her attempt to find out what was going on.

"I bet it's something to do with your birthday and James told her it had to be a big surprise."

"It's weird, it started up when I started trying to get Lucie to stop saying a 'd' every time she means to say a 'g'. I must just be getting used to it though, it's funny, I hardly notice when she does it anymore."

"Maybe she's stopping and you hadn't noticed." Ellen suggested.

"I'd notice, wouldn't I?" Katy asked.

"I don't know, Alex was a bit like that, he used to always say 'f' for 'th' and it was before James lived in town here so he didn't see us as often and one time he came over and he asked me when Alex had started getting it right and I didn't even realize he did. It happened so slowly, I didn't notice." Ellen laughed. "James told me I must be a bad mother not to notice." Katy frowned, if that was happening would James call her a bad mother as well? "Oh, he'd never tell you something like that." Ellen seemed to be reading her mind. "He's afraid of making you upset because he has no idea exactly what it is that makes you so sad sometimes." She took a deep breath. "He told me about what you said at Christmas, though, to Lucie. But he thinks it's more than that your husband left you, that's what he told me you said."

"I didn't say that." Katy was trying very hard not to begin shaking. "I just told Lucie I would never tell her I was going out for ten minutes and never come back."

"That really sounds like he left you, Katy." Ellen said gently.

"You guys don't understand what happened and I'm not going to tell you." Katy said firmly. "Please, all I want is to forget about everything that happened to me before I moved here."

"But that isn't healthy, Katy, if you have a problem, you have to talk about it, you have to talk your way through it or you won't know what's really bothering you."

"But I know exactly what bothers me, I don't need to talk, I understand perfectly, I just want to forget." Katy said. "Look, I know you guys want to know about what happened to me and I will tell you eventually, eventually I'll have to, but until then, I want to pretend it didn't happen. Please, just let me pretend this, it will really help me."

"They're here," Ellen nodded towards the door where James was standing with Lucie in his arms. She waved and they came over.

"Mummy, Mummy, Mummy!" Lucie said loudly.

"Kate, Lucie has something she wants to say to you." James smiled at Lucie and Katy turned to her with a confused look on her face.

"MUMMY I GET TO GO TO BIG GIRL SCHOOL IN SPATEMBER!" Lucie shouted at the top of her voice. "Getta go, getta go, getta go!" Lucie sang.

Katy looked up at James.

"You've been teaching Lucie to talk properly?" She beamed at him. "That was perfect, darling." She kissed Lucie's head and pulled her into her lap. "And now you can talk like a big girl, too." Lucie laughed and smiled at her.

"Cause I'm a big girl, Mummy!"

"You are indeed. And now what would you like to eat, honey?" Katy reached for the kid's menu and read it out to Lucie who, while she could talk properly now, couldn't read yet.

"Now I gotta read!" Lucie said excitedly, seeming to read Katy's mind. "Big girls can read, c'you teach me, Mummy? Oh, please!"

"I suppose we can try." Katy smiled at Lucie as the waiter came over to take their orders.

"Guess what!" Lucie said to the waiter. "I'm goin' to big girl school in Spatober cause I'm gonna be five on the onest day."

The waiter looked a bit confused.

"The _first_ day Lucie, not the onest." Katy corrected her and the waiter still seemed a bit lost. "And she means September." The waiter appeared to finally understand.

"I said that, Mummy, I'm five in Spatomber." Lucie frowned at being corrected; apparently it was not to her taste, but Katy noticed she had added an "m" to the word. "I talk poperly, Mummy, you said so!"

"Well, yes, you can say the 'g' right, but you still haven't got every word perfect." Katy told her. "But you're very good."

"I know!" Lucie beamed at her.

"Now, onto Ellen's idea, are you doing anything special for my birthday" Katy asked James, smiling first at Ellen then at James. She was feeling very different about her birthday this year. She was not resentful of it, not hating the fact that she would be twenty-five when certain other people would not ever get to be.

"Not really, we'll just go out to dinner, won't we?" He asked.

"I suppose."

"Did you want me to plan you a big surprise party, then?"

"No!" Katy said hurriedly, she hadn't actually thought about it at all. "No, we'll just do something small, I don't want a party. And who would we invite? Lucie's friends? Who do I know?" She laughed.

"Yeah!" Lucie said enthusiastically. "Yeah, let's have a party for Lucie's friends!"

"But Lucie, it's my birthday, we'll have a party with your friends when it's your birthday." Katy told her.

"But you don't have any friends. I do! Let's have a party for me!"

"Thanks, love…" Katy frowned as James and Ellen burst out laughing. "She's does have a point though, I don't know that many people, even if you planned a party, no one would come, maybe the parents of Lucie's friends, I've gotten to know them a bit, I guess."

"Alright, no party then." James said.

"Yes, yes party!" Lucie frowned up at them.

"No, Lucie, it's Mummy's birthday, so Mummy gets to say what she wants to do." James told Lucie.

"But I thought she loved me!" Lucie said, looking worried.

"She does." James raised his eyebrows.

"Then why can't we do what _I _want?" Lucie asked with her hands on her hips.

"Lucie, sweetheart, we can't always do what you want." Katy told her. "At least once a year I get to call the shots, alright?"

"But you tell me what to do all the time!" Lucie said.

"Where did you get this love of argument from?" Ellen asked Lucie. "Katy's not this bad; I don't know where she could have inherited that from." Ellen laughed quietly and then there was an awkward silence as they all realized there was a very easy answer to Ellen's question, they all knew who Lucie might have gotten her argumentative side from and Katy was not going to be the one to bring it up though for a different reason than Ellen and James were keeping quiet. She had never thought about what Ellen had said before and forced it firmly from her head.

"Well, she's one of a kind." Katy said and Ellen and James laughed far too quickly to pass over the moment.

"Mummy, I have an idea." Lucie announced, waving her hand in front of Katy's face. "We'll get a mummy sized castle jumpy thing!"

Lucie had never forgotten the blow-up jumper James had brought to her fourth birthday party. It was now her opinion that all things in life could be made better if they involved an inflatable castle.

"I don't think they make those for people Mummy's size, Lu." Katy told her. "Sorry."

"But they dotta! GOTTA!" Lucie shouted her correction and several people looked around at them.

"You have to be a bit quieter, Lucie, we're in a restaurant." Katy frowned at her. "Now do you want some juice?" she surveyed the kid's menu, they had apple juice and orange juice, though Lucie wouldn't drink orange juice, she thought it was gross. "How about apple juice, you like that."

* * *

Katy did not have a mummy sized castle jumpy thing at her birthday which disappointed Lucie deeply, she just went out to dinner with James and sent Lucie to Ellen's for the evening. Lucie was not remotely pleased to not be invited to dinner and threatened to not give Katy her birthday present which turned out to be a drawing of Katy and Lucie that Lucie had made at school. Katy was a very tall stick figure with thick lines of black sticking out from her head straight down, apparently coming out of her chin, going almost to her knees and Lucie had much shorter yellow cork screws coming out in all directions from her head.

_Aaaaand that's a wrap. but not with the story. not quite. :P_

_please review!!!_

_Lily_


	89. Chapter 86

_Hello all! So i don't have time right now to respond to reviews, but thank you to all who did! I will respond at the next update. I just know I will have no time in the next few weeks to update so I decided today to get this chapter up!_

Chapter 86

Although she didn't forget it, she didn't wish she could see him, she didn't think excessively about Lily or James and she didn't cry on Harry's fifth birthday. She did briefly wonder what he was doing for his fifth birthday but didn't dwell on it. Lucie had a minor crisis that day, she lost Lily which did make Katy a little uneasy, but Lily was discovered hiding in a closet and the problem resolved. Lucie then announced she had put Lily there the day before because Lily had been naughty.

"Mummy, we gotta talk." Lucie said very seriously a week into August.

"Alright, love, is something the matter?" Katy sat down on the couch and Lucie hopped up into her lap.

"I'm gonna be five soon."

"I know you will, sweetheart." Katy said, pushing Lucie's yellow curls out of her face to try and glean some meaning from this conversation by direct eye contact.

"We needa talk."

"We're talking right now, love, what about your birthday do you want to talk about."

"I wanna have me a super big party!" Lucie giggled madly and grinned up at Katy.

"Well, we're definitely having a party for you, Lucie. What do you want to do for your party?"

"We'll go to the park!" Lucie said loudly and Katy had to stop herself from covering her ears quickly.

"A bit quieter, love." Katy said. "We can probably go to the park for your birthday if you want."

There was a new park in town that Lucie loved to play at. It was just around the corner from their house, so it was perfect for going to after school. Lucie's birthday was a Sunday so no one would be at school though Lucie was going to start her brand new kindergarten the next day.

* * *

Katy spent the next few weeks calling the mother's of Lucie's friends and inviting them all to Lucie's fifth birthday party at the park. Lucie was constantly talking about her, as she had dubbed it, Park-Party.

Katy and James went out the day before and ordered a cake at the bakery that said "_Happy Birthday Lucie!"_ in fancy, loopy writing and then went back home to enjoy a few calm hours that did not involve Lucie shouting about how she would be five the next day as Lucie was out somewhere with Ellen and the boys.

"Wawazzat?" Katy sat up quickly the next morning having been abruptly waken by a very loud noise.

"FIVEEEEEEE" Lucie screeched at her about a centimeter from where Katy's ear had been only seconds before. "MUMMY I'M FIVE TODAY! I'M REALLY FIVE, I'M NOT FOUR NO MORE. I'M FIVE YEARS OLD NOW MUMMY!" James was rubbing his eyes and looking around for the source of the noise on Katy's other side.

"Shhh, Lucie, let's go, maybe Daddy can sleep a little more." Katy said, getting quickly out of bed and dragging Lucie downstairs. "Happy birthday, five year old!" She smiled at Lucie who beamed back. "How does it feel to be five? Different from being four?"

"Really, really, really, really, really, really, really different!" Lucie shouted. "I'm five _whole _years old, Mummy. Do you know that? I'm not a baby no more. Look at that!" Lucie held out one of her hands, all five fingers stretched as wide as she could. "I'm a hold hand years old! And next time I'm five I'll be ten!" Lucie said excitedly.

"Next time you're five you'll be ten?" Katy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, next time I'm five fingers old I'll be ten! Daddy told me two fives is a ten!"

"Well he's a pretty smart man." Katy laughed. "Now what does the birthday girl want for breakfast?" Katy scooped up her five year old baby girl and walked into the kitchen where they found James sitting at the table drinking a cup of very hot coffee.

"What _time _is it, you two?" he asked. Katy didn't know, she hadn't looked at a clock. Glancing over she saw the kitchen clock said 6:30.

"You woke us up at _six thirty_?" Katy turned to Lucie. "What on earth were you doing awake?"

"My birthday!" Lucie answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Katy couldn't argue, however, she knew she used to wake her parents up on her – but she didn't let herself finish that thought, that would be admitting to everything she had been denying for years. Lucie's birthday was going to be perfect. Nothing was going to ruin it, nothing was going to remind Katy of anything she didn't want to be reminded of.

"Right, so what shall we eat?" Katy said briskly, moving her mind back to where she wanted it.

Lucie was almost in hysterics all morning, she was running around, bouncing off the walls and never talked at any level less than too loud. She couldn't wait for one o'clock and could hardly eat lunch because she was too excited.

At 12:30 they went to the park to set things up. Katy and Lucie walked while James drove into town and got the cake and then went to the park.

The first person to arrive was Lucie's best friend, Sophie. The two of them went skipping off to play while Katy told Sophie's mother what time the party ended and that she was welcome to stay if she wanted.

More and more of Lucie's day care was arriving and there was a small pile that was turning into a big pile of brightly colored packages that Katy felt sure contained not much other than Barbie dolls, stuffed animals and various dress ups.

At 2:30 Katy called all the kids over to the picnic tables to eat cake. She figured cake was what the party should end with because then no one would throw up on the slide from playing directly after eating. Most of the kids were covered in frosting and the sight of them made a picture go flashing through Katy's head of when her sister Lucie had had a birthday party and she, Katy and James had all been covered with frosting and Katy's mother had waved it away with a flick of her wand. Katy forced herself to laugh when James asked what the matter was and said in a very fake voice, "Just wishing I could get rid of this with magic." She pointed at the sticky faces in front of her and James laughed.

"If there was a magic that could do that, it wouldn't still be a secret." He smiled and turned around. "Alright, everyone, now come over here and we're going to wash up."

The last part had been James' idea. He had found a hose in the park and hooked a sprinkler to it. The kids had all brought bathing suits and went running through the water, frosting dripping off their faces as they shrieked with laughter, slipping and sliding in the mud. Parents started taking their kids away wrapped in towels and thanking Katy and James for the nice afternoon at around 3:15. Finally, at 3:45, only Lucie and Sophie were left and they were still in the sprinkler. Sophie's mother finally went and grabbed at Sophie while the sprinkler was pointed in the other direction and carried her away, wrapping her in a towel as they went.

"Let's leave her to it while we clean up." Katy suggested, pointing at Lucie who was still jumping through the water. It took about twenty minutes to get all the paper plates and cups in the trash and carry the presents into James' car. Katy went and got Lucie's towel while James turned off the water. "Did you have fun, love?" Katy asked Lucie as she wrapped the towel around her.

"Yeah!" Lucie said with such enthusiasm that water sprayed from her hair and soaked Katy's face. She giggled happily at the sight of it. "Mummy's wet too!"

"James, we'll meet you at home, we're going to walk, okay?" Katy called as James sat down in the car. He nodded and drove off.

Lucie slipped her hand through Katy's and the two of them walked down the street out of the park, Lucie swinging her hands and humming quietly under her breath. When they got to their house James was unloading things from the car. Lucie looked across the street and saw Mrs. Richardson outside with her dog, the one Lucie loved.

"Pup!" Lucie shouted happily at the dog who barked in response. The next door neighbor on the other side of Pup pulled out of his driveway in a very loud car that made Mrs. Richardson look over at it, annoyed. "Pup, I'm five!" Lucie shouted as the car turned. Pup ran forward across the street towards Lucie and everything seemed to momentarily slow down as the next door neighbor's car went crashed into Pup and sent him flying through the air. "NO!" Lucie shouted and tried to run forward but Katy tightened her grip on Lucie's hand. The neighbor slammed on his breaks and flew out of the car as Mrs. Richardson came running into the street. "No, Pup, no, no, no, no, no!" Lucie yelled. "No, Pup, stay at your house, don't come here!" But at that moment Mrs. Richardson shouted angrily at the neighbor.

"You killed my dog!" Lucie let out a little gasp at the word "killed" and began to cry. Two tears had made it down her face when the sunny day disappeared and rain began pouring out of the sky and Katy stared at Lucie. Lucie who had just started to cry. Lucie who was a Cupit. A Cupit who had to show her magic by making it rain. A girl who was not a squib. A girl who would get a letter to Hogwarts one day. And then Katy cried. James was staring, alarmed, from the dog on the street, to Mrs. Richardson, who looked torn between cursing the neighbor and crying herself, to the neighbor who looked horrified, to Lucie who was sobbing as hard as she could and finally to Katy who was also crying, though her pain was only there when she looked at Lucie. Her little witch.

"Well." James said in the sort of voice that showed he was going to avoid the subject at hand after he had pulled Katy and Lucie, who were both still crying, into the house. "Well, it's lucky it didn't start to rain until the party was over."

This set Katy off again and he looked bewildered.

"Rain!" Katy said, pointing out the window. "It's raining!"

"I see that," James said nodding. "What's wrong with the rain?"

And suddenly it was like a light went off in Katy's head. What was she doing? Crying over rain. Her daughter was beside herself having just watched a dog being killed. She had to comfort Lucie, she could fret about her own problems later.

"Lucie, sweetheart, are you going to be okay?" She turned to Lucie and pulled her into her lap. Lucie sobbed into her shoulder, Katy could feel Lucie's tears through her on her shoulder, it had been warm enough Katy was wearing a tank top.

"Mummy, I want him back! I love him Mummy! Tell him to come back." Lucie said through her tears, hiccupping all the while. "He ran there, Mummy, go and tell him not to, tell him he doesn't have to."

"No, Lucie, no, don't say that." Katy heard herself saying, she wasn't really there anymore, not in that living room. Not in that house, that world, she was four years earlier and thinking exactly the same thing about someone else.

* * *

Katy woke up several hours later with Lucie still laying on her lap, the two of them had fallen asleep on the couch crying. Slowly Katy stood up and walked upstairs where she gently laid Lucie in her bed. Some end to her fifth birthday, Katy thought bitterly as she quietly shut the door. She went into her bedroom where James was reading a book. The clock on the wall said it was 9:45.

"Kate!" James put his book down when she entered. "Are you alright? You seemed really upset earlier and it seemed like it was more than the dog."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Katy said quickly and suddenly wanted to be alone. "I... I have something I've just got to do right now." Katy started backing out of the room. "I'll be back later." She shut the door and hurried down the hallway. Then she stopped right out front of the closet that had the trapdoor up to the attic. She could go up there. She opened the door and pulled the door down behind her as James came out of the bedroom.

"What are you doing, Katy? Why are you going up there? You told me it was really dangerous up there and not to go up there."

"I..." Katy had only said that to stop him from seeing what she had hidden in the attic. "I think there's something up there I need. You don't have to come up with me. I just need to see something." And she clamored up. "Please, I'm fine, just stay down there." He looked like he didn't want to, but he frowned and nodded.

"Alright, I'll be in the bedroom, please come and talk to me when you're ready." She nodded quickly and after one more long, searching look at her, he turned and walked back down the hall. Katy turned around and saw the attic as she had left it three years ago when all she wanted was to get away from this stuff. She had thrown it up and not bothered to do anything more with it. Cauldrons were strewn across the floor, spellbooks and potion recipe books were in random piles in the corners, there was his old broom propped up against the window, a large box that contained Katy's old robes. She sat down in the middle of this mess and picked up the nearest book to her. It was very old and tattered: _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_. Katy had not looked at this book since she was thirteen. She set the book down and looked across the room at the opposite side and there it was: the box. The box with the things she never wanted to see again. Tentatively she crossed the attic and picked it up. She opened the lid and quickly withdrew the one thing in the box that wouldn't immediately make her blubber. Her wand. Her hand felt both warm and cold holding it. She wanted to use it and she never wanted to touch it again. With trembling hands, she raised the wand at her old Transfiguration book.

"_Reducto._" The book exploded into a mess of flying paper, wafting slowly the ground all around her and Katy stared at it. She had done magic. It had worked. She was still a witch. She wasn't a Muggle as much as she liked to pretend.

Looking through her piles of books, she encountered _An Overview of Muggle Life in Britain,_ her Muggle Studies textbook, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland, A History of Magic, _a biography of the first 300 years of Nicholas Flamel's life, a book whose cover had been damaged to the degree of being unreadable and was missing several pages but seemed to be about dragons, and a couple of various potion books.

Katy opened a large cardboard box on the floor and found old quills and parchment and ink bottles, both empty and unopened though fortunately none had been open and spilled.

Katy sat in the middle of it and tried to think. What should she do? Was now the time to confess? Now that Lucie had proved she was indeed headed on the path toward Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Or should she wait? Should she take the easy road and put it off as long as she could, knowing with each day she kept it a secret, Lucie would be angrier and angrier when she finally found out.

"Katy?" James' voice rang out from below. "Katy you've been up there for hours, are you okay?" Katy hadn't realized how long it had been, she had been immersed in all her forgotten magical things and the painful memories they brought back.. "Can I come up there, Kate?"

"No!" Katy called back, a little too loudly. "No, I'm coming down now."

She quickly put her wand back in the box that little box containing the things that pulled at her heart the most, pushed _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them _off her lap and hurried down the ladder.

"Whoa, Katy, what's wrong?" James asked when she got to him. He reached up and wiped off tears Katy hadn't known were there.

"I... I was thinking about Lucie…" Katy chose her words carefully, not sure how to say this. "She shouldn't have to live with this. I mean, she's only five. Now she has to live the rest of her life knowing she saw something die. When she was five. And what if she thinks it's her fault, because she was talking the dog and that is probably why he ran into the street? What if she thinks she killed that dog? I don't want her to live with that."

"I don't think she'll remember it well enough in another five years." James said and hugged Katy. "It'll be fine. And now, come on, let's go to bed, it's after midnight and we have to get Lucie to school tomorrow."

Katy nodded and allowed him to pull her into the bedroom where she fell into bed, fully clothed and tried to pretend today had all just been a dream as she fell asleep wishing the day she was going to tell everything would never have to come.

_The Lucie-reveals-her-magic-chapter! What did you guys think?????_

_please please please tell me what you all thought of this!!_

_Lily_


	90. A Letter

Dear Lovely lovely people,

The End! That is officially the end of Katy Cupit. What did you think????

I am not going to write any sort of epilogue or anything cause I am springing directly into the story about Lucie, _Ignorance is Bliss_. I am going to put it up right after I upload this so go and look for it!!! :D

Because I have been a horrible, horrible person, I will upload multiple chapters of the new story right now. Please try and forgive me. I believe my motivation has returned!

Lots of love (AND A HUNDRED MILLION THANK YOUS FOR READING MY STORY!!!!!),

Lily


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